Just Before Midnight
by splattered.ink99
Summary: Clary Fray is the perfect example of a modern Cinderella, with horrible step-sisters, a step-mother who hates her, and a far-off dream. As for the prince - Jace Herondale - she hates him. Or so she thinks. But as Clary's life becomes entangled with Jace and his friends, she finds herself strangely drawn to the group. Can Clary stay true to herself AND find a happy ending?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, thanks for checking out this story!**

 **I'd been inspired for this story by a book I recently read - about Cinderella in the modern day. And I thought - hey, why not a Mortal Instruments Cinderella?**

 **I've been writing this weird fanfic for a while, and hopefully I'll update regularly as I've pre-written a lot of chapters. So yeah, please enjoy - reviews would be welcome as always ;)**

 ***Sorry if the prologue's a bit slow, it's just to get an idea and description of the characters.***

 **\- s.i**

* * *

 _~~~Prologue~~~_

Clary only had a few memories of her mother.

They were so worn and frayed at the edges that they could hardly be called memories - more like distant daydreams that had become as comforting as a warm blanket.

Clary remembered long red hair much like her own, a voice whispering half-forgotten lullabies, and the feeling of being held, wrapped in a scent of paint and roses.

Some nights Clary would lie awake with her eyes half shut, imagine her mother sitting on the bed beside her, stroking her hair, talking softly. The memory of her mother gave her courage, and courage was sometimes the only thing that got Clary out of bed in the morning, that stopped her from just taking off from her life in a taxi and never looking back.

You would never think this about Clary just by looking at her.

For a sixteen year old, she was quite short - a fact that no one ever let her forget. Her hair was red and wavy and always pulled back into a messy ponytail. She had luminous green eyes, slightly too big for her face, and tiny freckles dusted across her cheeks and arms like star constellations.

She was nearly always in a too-big anime shirt, with wrinkled jeans and red sneakers that were covered with little sharpie drawings. And she would have a pencil tucked behind her ear and a sketchbook under her arm and splats of paint on her shirt.

Clary was pretty - but she didn't know she was. And the way she bit her lip or looked down at her sneakers when complimented made anyone smile.

But hardly anyone bothered to look past that, to actually bother to talk to her, to ask what she was thinking.

And Clary had started to believe no one ever would.

* * *

Jace Herondale had three rules. First they had been rules for surviving school, and then he had realised that they were rules for surviving life.

 _Rule one: stop caring._

 _Rule two: laugh it off._

 _Rule three: never stop moving._

He'd followed the rules for a long time now, since he was ten. They never failed him, except when he decided to break them.

And it was following those rules that had made him so popular at high school - as well as his chiseled good looks (messy blond hair, sharp cheekbones, amused golden eyes, and a mouth that was nearly always tilted up one side in a slight smirk), and his talent for sports (captain of the soccer team, best player on the basketball team, and member of the swimming team in the summer).

It was a well known fact that Jace was on of the most popular boys at the school. He'd had a string of girlfriends, was invited to every single party, and was somehow liked by nearly all the teachers - even though he never paid attention in class.

Jace could charm his way out of anything, past anyone. He was unflappable, untouchable, and didn't give a damn about anything.

Or so he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

~~~~Chapter 1~~~  
 _There was no bed for Cinderella, and at night when she had worked herself weary, she had to sleep by the hearth in the ashes._

Clary nearly always got up at dawn. It was one of her least favourite parts of the day, dragging herself out of her bed.

Well, it wasn't a bed really - just a dusty old mattress in the middle of the attic.

Yes, the attic. The attic, which was boiling in the summer and freezing in the winter. Freezing so much, in fact, that Clary often gave up on her mattress entirely and went downstairs to sleep on the floor near the heater.

Camille, Clary's step-mother, had been responsible for kicking Clary out of her own room, saying that Kaelie and Seelie were too old to share a room now and Seelie needed another room to have more _personal space._

Clary snorted at the thought as she pulled on her clothes, shivering in the early morning air. Today's t-shirt was splattered with paint, and stated in bold letters; _But first, coffee._

Clary ran her fingers through her wild red hair and pulled it back into something resembling a ponytail before staggering downstairs to the kitchen. She shoved some bread in the toaster and flicked on the coffee machine with a sigh, before setting out the plates on the bench.

A moment later, Seelie and Kaelie walked in. Both of them were in ridiculously tight denim skirts with fishnet stockings - apparently the latest style. And both of them were, as usual, were slathered with lipstick, foundation, eyeshadow, eyeliner, and heaps of other makeup products that Clary didn't know or care about. No one would have guessed they were Clary's stepsisters.

"I want a full strength coffee today, Clarissa." Kaelie said with a yawn. "With whipped cream." she sank down into a chair and picked at her nails while Clary made the coffee.

Kaelie looked a lot like her mother and sister, with long blonde hair, icy eyes, and a permanently upturned nose. And of course, a figure that both boys and girls alike drooled over. The only difference between Seelie and Kaelie was Seelie's hair, which she had recently dyed a violent shade of scarlet. She'd been inspired by a Vogue article or something.

"What coffee do you want, Seelie?" Clary asked.

"Same as Kae, with soy milk." Seelie said, sitting down beside Kaelie.

Camille walked in last, looking as glamorous as usual in full make up and heels.

The ever perfect mother.

She clicked her tongue at Clary. "Hurry up girl, we haven't got all day."

Clary said nothing as she set out the cups and finished the coffees. She had only poured a coffee for herself when Kaelie finished her drink and stood up, sliding her empty mug across to Clary. "Wash that, will you?"

Seelie made a face. "This coffee is disgusting. What kind of milk did you put in, idiot?"

"Soy." Clary said patiently, washing the dishes. "Like you asked."

Seelie rolled her eyes. "Don't be a smart ass - just make me a new one." She tipped her coffee down the sink. Clary began the new coffee with a sigh.

"And you've burnt the toast again, girl." Camille said, her nose wrinkling. "I can smell it."

"That's because I was making you coffee." Clary muttered, flicking off the toaster, and pulling out the slightly-charred toast.

"I'm not eating _that."_ Kaelie said, disgusted. "Throw it away, Clarissa."

"My nail polish is chipped!" Seelie wailed suddenly, throwing up her hands. "Clary, that's all your fault! You painted them for me!"

"I didn't chip them!"

"Clarissa Fray!" Camille snapped. "Don't you dare talk back to your sisters like that!"

 _They're not my sisters_ , Clary wanted to scream. But instead she muttered "I'm sorry, Seelie. I'll touch your nails up for you before you leave."

"Good girl." Seelie smirked, patting Clary lightly on the cheek. "Do it now, will you?"

Clary went upstairs to Seelie's room, rummaged round for the right nail polish, and hurried back down. She carefully redid Seelie's nails, wrinkling her nose at the chemical smell.

"And when you get home tonight Clarissa," Camille said, grabbing her purse and keys, "I need you to mop and vacuum the house, especially downstairs. I've got a new client tomorrow."

"Yes, Camille."

Camille was a hairdresser and makeup artist, and had redecorated the living room downstairs to be her shop. She spent all day doing her customers' hair and makeup and gossiping with them, and in the evening she would go out to clubs and shopping malls with everyone she gossiped with and only get home at midnight. And when she got home, she would expect the whole house to be sparkling clean and Clary to be out of sight.

"Vacuum my room too, Clary." Kaelie said, following her mother out the door. "The dust under my bed is _disgusting._ You're so lazy."

"Yes, Kaelie."

"I can't drink this." Seelie announced, tipping her new coffee down the sink for the second time. Her freshly painted nails glittered as she picked up her bag and followed her mother and sister.

"I made it with regular milk instead of soy, like you said." Clary told her.

Seelie wrinkled her nose as she stepped out the front door. "Well, it's disgusting. You're such a freak."

"Thanks." Clary muttered.

The front door slammed shut.

Clary slumped back onto the counter with relief. She looked up at the clock and sighed. Simon, her best and only friend, would be here any minute, and they'd walk to school together like always.

Her stepsisters went to the same school as Clary, but it would never occur to them to let her drive with _them_ to school.

"Might have destroyed their _perfect_ reputations." Clary muttered. She reached for the cup of coffee she'd made herself and sighed.

It had gone cold.

* * *

Jace's morning routine was simple.

At 7 am, Alec would knock on his door gently with a muffled, "time to get up, Jace."

At 7;15, Alec would come in, sigh exasperatedly and say, "Jace, seriously."

At 7:30, Alec would come in again, bash Jace with a pillow, Jace would leap out of bed with a yowl, and Isabelle would yell "Jace, move your ass!" from the kitchen.

When Jace finally staggered downstairs that particular morning, Isabelle was flicking through a magazine with a coffee.

"About time." she said, looking up.

"I need coffee." Jace replied.

"Get your own." Isabelle expertly whisked her mug out of Jace's reach.

Jace sighed, getting out the toaster machine and making himself breakfast. Alec made coffee, he was much better at it than Jace anyway. And then the three of them climbed into Alec's car, and Alec drove them to school like always.

School was also a pretty simple routine.

As Jace climbed out of the car, he saw Sebastian and Jonathan already waiting for him. They were brothers, and perhaps the closest thing Jace had to best friends.

Of course, Alec and Isabelle were technically not related to him, but they were family - closer than friends.

Sebastian and Jonathan were hard to tell apart at first. Both were tall and angular, with white-blond hair and arrogant smirks. But on closer inspection, Jonathan's eyes were a vivid green, unlike Sebastian's black ones, and Jonathan's smirk wasn't quite as cocky as his brother's.

Jace, Alec, Isabelle, Sebastian and Jonathan. The popular gang, the leaders of the school. Jace looked around for the rest of the group.

Magnus appeared next, his clothes as bright and his hair as full of glitter as usual. He was extremely likeable, but he and Jace weren't that close. Instead, Magnus had his sights set on Alec. He'd been flirting with Jace's brother for a few months now, and Alec was just as oblivious as usual. In fact, Magnus had resorted to drastic measures.

"Hey Alec, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" he asked, by way of greeting.

Alec blinked. "I think you've got me confused with someone else."

Jace raised an eyebrow at Magnus. "Seriously? Pick-up lines?"

Magnus sighed. "It was worth a shot."

Speaking of one-sided love interests, Jace's girlfriend Kaelie appeared next, arm in arm with her sister Seelie as usual.

"Jacie!" Kaelie said, flinging her arms around Jace like she hadn't seen him for years. Strands of her hair got in his mouth and he coughed. "Hey… babe."

Kaelie pulled back to flutter her eyelashes at him, ignoring the barely-muffled sighs and groans from Jace's friends. "You didn't call me last night." she pouted.

"Ah. Kaelie, I'm sorry, I was completely loaded up with homework." Jace said. Isabelle stifled a snort. Jace doing homework was as rare as… well, as Alec flirting.

Over Kaelie's shoulder, Jace caught a glimpse of Seelie snogging Sebastian. They'd started going out a few weeks ago. Oh, and there was Meliorn, a dark, silent dude who was going with out with Isabelle. Jace reckoned he would get dumped in a few weeks.

Past Seelie, Sebastian, Meliorn and Isabelle, Jace could see a girl watching them. Her hair glinted red in the sun, and she was walking with a dark-haired boy, laughing at something he said.

Jace recognised her instantly. Clary Fray.

He'd known her vaguely for years, as she shared a lot of his classes. But Jace had always gotten the impression that she didn't like him that much. It was a feeling he wasn't used to.

Jace watched as Clary pointed in his direction, saying something to her friend. Jace tried to remember his name. Sheldon, maybe? Sam? Whatever his name was, he laughed, and Clary smirked over at Kaelie and Seelie. Then she met Jace's eyes, and the smirk faded into a scowl. She looked away.

Jace raised an eyebrow. _Rude._

"Jace! Are you listening to anything I'm saying?" Kaelie whined, turning Jace's head back to face her.

"Uh - yes, definitely." Jace said hurriedly. Over her head, he could still see Clary. It was no secret Clary was Kaelie and Seelie's stepsister, and Jace had always wondered why she didn't bother to hang out with them. It seemed Clary didn't get on with her stepsisters, but being related to Seelie and Kaelie was almost a free ticket to popularity. Jace had always wondered why Clary didn't take it.

Instead, she hung round with that boy, whatever his name was - and ignored her sisters entirely, apart from the odd smirk in their direction.

Who did Clary think she was?

"Jace Herondale!" Kaelie put her face close to his, so he could see the clumps of mascara caught in her eyelashes. "That better have not been my stepsister you were ogling!" Kaelie said _stepsister_ like it was a swearword.

"Of course not. I was just trying to distract myself from ogling you, because then I might not have been able to control myself." Jace said smoothly. Alec made a choking noise from behind him.

Kaelie looked smug. "Maybe I don't _want_ you to control yourself, Jace Herondale."

"Please stop, I'm going to be sick." Isabelle said, pushing in between them. She shot Jace an exasperated look. "Let's go to class, shall we? The bell's about to go."


	3. Chapter 3

~~~Chapter 2~~~  
 _Times soon grew very bad for the poor stepchild. And because she always looked dusty and dirty, they called her Cinderella._

When the bell went, Clary and Simon found their seats in the first class of the day; Art Technology. They sat in the middle row, on the very side.

Advantages: they were least likely to get picked on by the teacher.

Disadvantages, as Clary soon found out: they were sitting just in front of the people in the back row.

One by one, students filed in. Helen and Aline, who sat near Clary and Simon. Maia and her boyfriend Jordan, who smiled at Clary as they came in. Lilly and Raphael, who sat in the front row. Clary had known them all for years, but she didn't really _know_ any of them.

Meliorn came next, a tall handsome guy who was always frowning. Simon tensed slightly as Meliorn found a seat in the back. Clary knew why a moment later, as Isabelle Lightwood walked in.

Simon had had a crush on Isabelle for ages, and Clary had teased him about it for as long as she could remember. But she could see why, even if she half-hated Isabelle. Isabelle's silky black hair was out and fanned around her, her eyes were dark and memorising, and her full red lips stood out against her fair skin - as she leaned forward and kissed Meliorn on the mouth.

Simon sighed, shifting slightly in his seat.

"Si, she'll probably dump him in a few days." Clary whispered.

Simon flicked his eyes towards her. "And get another guy way hotter than me."

On cue to Simon's point, Magnus whizzed through the door, his hair sparkling even in the weak classroom light. He was dragging Alec with him, who was rolling his eyes.

And then came Sebastian, with Jonathan in a headlock. They looked nearly the same, but Jonathan was a lot nicer than his brother.

And after those two came Jace. He was laughing at something Sebastian had said, and he looked every inch the cocky idiot Clary knew him to be. Windswept gold hair, and eyes only a few shades darker. Tall, strong and tanned, teeth white and perfect. Except for the little chip on his incisor, one Clary could never resist noticing.

Even though she hated him, of course.

In fact, Clary did not like any of them. They were the popular gang, always gossiping, always restless, always spreading rumours and trouble. She'd learnt to keep her head down when they were near. Even though now she was sitting directly in front of them.

Jace dropped into the last free seat in the back row - the one directly behind Clary.

She sighed.

"Good morning, everyone." Ms. Blackthorn swept into the room, her hair pulled back in a tight knot.

"Good morning, Ms. Blackthorn." the more awake members of the class chanted.

"Books away." Ms. Blackthorn said, fanning her hands impatiently. "I have some news."

Clary looked up, interested.

"You all know about the year ten formal coming up?" Mrs. Blackthorn began.

Clary's interest disappeared. She didn't care about the stupid ball. However, Clary's views were definitely in the minority - most of the class were nodding enthusiastically.

"Well." Mrs. Blackthorn clapped her hands together. "As you know, it's a big event, and our class has been asked to contribute to some of the decorations."

"Oh no." Simon whispered.

"And I've heard," Ms. Blackthorn lowered her voice in a conspiratorial whisper, "that some very important people will be at the ball, including some university professors. Some of the names you may know; Ms. Loss, Mr. Dearborn, Ms. Collins, and Mr. Fell."

Clary looked up at the last name in disbelief. No. It couldn't be.

A sudden spark of excitement flared inside her.

"And so," Ms. Blackthorn continued, "let's take this chance to show them all our talents." She spread out her arms dramatically. "I'm thinking tapestries, sculptures, canvases. Bright colours, paint, sequins, thread, glue, feathers - anything! I want big ideas - I want everything!" She was getting really worked up now, waving her arms, her face shining with excitement.

And most of the class were nodding along with her, whispering ideas to their friends, or jotting down ideas in their notebooks.

"There's a lot of talent in this class, and I want you to spend this class coming up with some _awesome_ ideas." Ms Blackthorn finished. She beamed round at them all. "I'll just go and grab some paper and supplies, shall I?"

And with that, she bustled out of the room.

Clary immediately went to work, filled with determination. She was going to make the best piece _ever._

The work had to encompass the spirit of the school, Brooklyn High. Clary thought for a moment, her pencil hovering over her exercise book. The school motto was _spread your wings._

 _Wings,_ she thought. Bird wings, maybe? But everyone would be doing birds. She wanted something more original. Bat wings? No. Dragon wings? No. Butterly wings? No.

Angel wings?

A slow smile spread across Clary's face, and she began to sketch a few designs, rough outlines of feathers, and curved wing shapes.

She was so lost in her drawings that she didn't notice Jace until he slid into the empty seat right next to her. "Hey Clary."

Clary scowled up at him. "What do you want?"

Jace leaned back, putting his feet up on the desk like he wasn't planning to leave. "Well, I need some help."

"What."

"Everyone knows you're talented, Clare. An artist." He pronounced artist like _art-eest_ , his tone mocking. Clary heard a snigger from behind her, and she didn't have to look to know it was Sebastian.

"Don't call me Clare." she snapped.

"Whatever you say, honey." Jace replied easily.

"Leave her alone." Simon said, leaning forwards. Clary shot him a look. _I can handle this._

"Sheldon, isn't it?" Jace asked politely. "I wasn't talking to you."

"Go back to your seat, Jace." Clary said.

He pouted. "But I wanted some of your artist's techniques. Tips of the trade, that kind of thing."

"Unfortunately for you, there isn't a cheat sheet for being creative." Clary said through her teeth. "Please move."

"Well," Jace said, "if you're not going to tell me your secrets, I'll just have to find them for myself."

He grabbed her pencil case, and unzipped it. "Where's your magic pencil, huh?"

Clary swiped for it, but Jace dodged easily, and stood up, holding the pencil case above his head.

"Pity you're so short." he said. By now, most of the class was looking over. The teacher still hadn't returned.

Clary wasn't going to give Jace the satisfaction of grabbing for it. Instead, she just crossed her arms and glared. "Give it back."

Jace flipped the pencil case gracefully in his hand. It was a ratty old thing Clary had gotten years ago. It looked pretty unremarkable, faded black fabric with _Clary Fray_ carefully written on the label.

Jace looked back up at Clary. He was grinning, the insufferable idiot. "Hasn't anyone ever told you to share?" He tossed the pencil case behind him, and Sebastian caught it easily.

He stood up on his desk, waving the pencil case. "Good find, Jace."

Clary started for Sebastian, but he threw the pencil case back to Jace before she got there. Jace backed up to the front rows, throwing it back to Sebastian as Clary tried to grab it off him.

"Give it back!" she yelled.

Later, Clary realised, she should have just left it. She should have Jace keep it until he got bored, which wouldn't have taken long. But Clary was fed up with letting Jace do whatever he wanted, letting him walk over her like he did to everyone else.

Simon used to to tease Clary about her fiery spark. "Short, red hair, bad temper." he'd say. "So cliche." But Clary couldn't see the funny side as Sebastian caught the pencil case, yet again, and raised it triumphantly. "What a catch!"

He kicked it to Jace this time, who marked it perfectly - only to get knocked to the ground by Clary, who had had enough. She grabbed for the pencil case, ignoring the gasps from the desks around her.

But Jace was quicker. He threw the pencil case across the floor, disentangled himself from Clary and dived after it, leaving her spluttering on the ground. Simon ran over to help her.

Jace grabbed the pencil case, stood up, and smirked. "Ready for this kick, Seb?"

And he kicked it. The pencil case whizzed in a graceful arc across the room - and smacked straight into the face of Ms Blackthorn, who had chosen that exact moment to step inside the classroom.

The pencils and papers she'd retrieved dropped from her hands and scattered across the floor as she staggered back with a yowl.

The class was dead silent.

"Whose pencil case is this?" Ms Blackthorn yelled. She was red in the face - literally. There was a red mark where the pencil case had struck her cheek.

"Clary's." Sebastian said instantly, smiling his angelic smile.

Ms Blackthorn advanced on Clary, livid. "I expected far, _far_ better from you, Miss Fray - "

"It wasn't her fault, miss!" Simon said defensively, a hand on Clary's arm.

"Oh?" Ms Blackthorn put her hands on her hips. "And who's fault was it?"

Every single person in the room looked at Jace. Jace held up his hands in surrender.

"Of course." Ms Blackthorn said savagely. "And what have you got to say for yourself, Herondale?"

"It was an accident." Jace said smoothly. "I borrowed Clary's pencil case, and I was going to give it back to her."

"By booting it across the room?"

"…I didn't want to walk that far."

The class sniggered. "Enough!" Ms Blackthorn snapped. "That will be a week's detentions for you, Herondale."

"But miss!" Jace said, his eyes pleading and innocent. "I was honestly giving it back to Clary! We were just having a little fun, that's all!"

And amazingly, something in his eyes or face or expression must have worked, because Ms Blackthorn's face softened slightly. "Teenagers." she said with a sigh. "No detentions then, Jace. But please refrain from testing the aerodynamics of any other stationary items for at least a few more weeks."

"Yes miss, of course." Jace winked at Sebastian while Ms. Blackthorn wasn't looking.

Clary was outraged. How come Jace could get away with everything with a charming smile? How unfair was that?

Jace stooped to pick up Clary's pencil case, and he handed it to her. "My lady." he said mockingly. Clary opened her mouth, decided against what she was going to say, and merely glared at him. She snatched the pencil case away before any harm could come to it, and for the rest of the session she kept her head down and talked to no one.

That seemed to be the best strategy, nowadays.

* * *

Simon was doing his best to cheer up Clary when he heard his name being called from behind him.

The bell had gone for break, and the corridor was steaming with students - but Simon had no trouble spotting who had called him.

Isabelle Lightwood stood out from any crowd.

"Simon!" she said again, reaching Simon and Clary and grabbing his arm. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Clary raised an eyebrow, but Simon looked at her pleadingly and she nodded. "See you later, Si."

She gave him an inconspicuous thumbs-up and mouthed "good luck" before walking down the hallway.

Which left Simon alone with Isabelle. As he looked up at her, he was surprised that she even remembered his name, let alone was bothering to talk to him.

"Simon, I need your help with something," Isabelle said. She was smiling slightly, her heels tapping impatiently against the floor like she was excited.

"Yeah?" Simon instantly cursed himself for sounding so dopey. "What is it?" he added quickly.

"It's about Clary and Jace. Don't you think they're just _made_ for each other?" Isabelle said dramatically.

Whatever Simon had been expecting, it certainly wasn't _that._ "Uh… not really?"

"What?" she looked surprised.

"Jace literally just stole Clary's pencil case. She kind of hates him, you know?"

Isabelle blinked, then grinned. "But the hate-love relationships are the best challenges. And they have way more chemistry."

Simon stared. "I'm sorry? Do you like setting people up or something?"

"One of my favourite pastimes." Isabelle waved a hand impatiently. "But mainly, I'm sick of watching Jace hang out with _Kaelie_ and all the other girls like her. It's time he had a proper girlfriend, and he and Clary are totally in love. I can tell."

"See my aforementioned comment about Clary hating him." Simon said.

"Hate equals denial of love." Isabelle said. "Keep up, Simon. So, anyway, I have a plan, but I need Clary's phone number."

Simon blinked. He would have got down on his knees if Isabelle asked him to, but Clary was his best friend, and he was damned if he wasn't going to be loyal to her. "Um… no can do."

"Simon, really?" Isabelle looked disappointed.

"I can't just go handing out my best friend's phone number!" Simon said defensively. "She doesn't like Jace, she doesn't want to talk to him, end of story."

"But she won't know it's him!" Isabelle said quickly. "It'll be anonymous, promise. And if Clary doesn't talk to him, that's fine, that's her choice. I won't push it."

Simon must have still looked suspicious because she flung up her hands. "I'm not going to scribble Clary's number on a bathroom wall, Simon! She can completely ignore Jace, or have fun yelling at him over text, whatever. But it won't hurt her."

Her dark eyes pinned his, her face hopeful and beautiful.

Simon sighed. There was no way he could resist Isabelle Lightwood. "Fine." he said, scribbling Clary's number on a page in his textbook and ripping it out. "Just don't use it for anything else."

"I solemnly swear." Isabelle said, taking the piece of paper. She grinned, and leaned forward to kiss Simon on the cheek before he could blink. "Thanks so much, Simon!"

And she strode off, leaving Simon with a hand to his face, staring after her.

 _Did Isabelle Lightwood just freaking kiss me on the cheek?_ Was his first, dumbfounded thought, soon followed by _oh crap, what have I done._


	4. Chapter 4

~~~Chapter 3~~~

 _She was a very sweet-tempered, good girl, however, and everybody except her cruel sisters loved her._

11:53pm.

Jace was lying upside-down on his bed, a discarded history text-book lying open on his pillow. He had forgotten about it completely, and was instead sighing as he checked his watch.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and found Isabelle's text messages. She'd been at Meliorn's all night, and Maryse, her mum, would be home at midnight. If Isabelle didn't hurry up she'd be caught out.

Her dad, Robert Lightwood, was away for work, and Maryse had been working until almost midnight. But that wouldn't stop her from grounding Isabelle completely if she caught her daughter sneaking home at this hour.

Jace looked down at his phone, and typed out a message.

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:53pm** _Iz u idiot stop making out with ur boyfriend and get ur ass back here, or u'll be busted._

He sighed, dropping his phone onto the carpet and swinging himself the right way up. His phone buzzed from the floor a moment later and he looked at the message.

 ** _Izzy_LITwood_ 11:54pm** _…pretty sure you've got the wrong number._

Jace blinked. _Very funny,_ he typed. _I can see your username._

The reply came back a moment later. _Then one of your friends is probably pranking u. I have no idea who you are._

Jace raised an eyebrow, and clicked the back button to see his recent texts. One of the most recent was with a person called _awkward_artist_ , which he had never heard of before. He clicked on it to see all the recent texts Isabelle had sent him.

She'd swapped her contact details on his phone. With a complete stranger.

Jace quickly changed the unknown number back to Isabelle's contact, muttering obscenities under his breath. He texted the real Isabelle.

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:55pm** _Okay so first, you swap your number with some COMPLETE STRANGER, and then you stay out with Meliorn until midnight - so ur mum will find out. I'm not covering for you, you twit_

She replied a moment later.

 ** _Izzy_LITwood_ 11:56pm **_ahaha so it worked then_

 ** _Izzy_LITwood_ 11:56pm **_what did they say?!_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:56pm **_nothing compared to what Maryse is going to say to you if you don't get your ass back here right now_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:57pm **_do you even_ know _the person i just embarrassed myself in front of?_

 ** _Izzy_LITwood_ 11:57pm **_nope_

 ** _Izzy_LITwood_ 11:57pm **_i just picked them - and you totally fell for it lol_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:57pm **_how do you even have friends_

 ** _Izzy_LITwood_ 11:57pm **_well then why are you talking to me ;) calm your ass i'm on my way home now_

Jace rolled his eyes, and hesitated before clicking back on the stranger's number.

They'd already left him a message.

 ** _awkward_artist_ 11:55pm **_and thanks a lot for waking me up in the middle of the night_

He winced.

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:58pm **_my most sincere apologies_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:58pm **_you can blame my friend, who switched her contact details on my phone_

He only had to wait a few seconds before the stranger replied.

 ** _awkward_artist_ 11:58pm **_nope i blame you_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 11:58pm **_why are u even texting ppl this late_

Jace felt a hint of a smile as he typed.

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:59pm **_as you read, i have a friend who is a few minutes away from being grounded for sneaking out with her boyfriend at midnight_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 11:59pm **_…_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 11:59pm **_my most sincere sympathies_

Jace looked back to his earlier comment, ' _my most sincere apologies.'_ He grinned.

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:59pm …** _are u mocking me_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 11:59pm **_i hoped you'd pick that up_

The clock on Jace's phone ticked over to midnight. He yawned, stretching, and looked down as his phone pinged again.

 **awkward_artist 12:00pm** _now if u don't mind i'm going back to sleep_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 12:00pm **_goodnight… stranger_

At that moment, Jace heard the front door open. He put down his phone.

"I hope you're all fast asleep!" Maryse called softly from below. Jace sat up. So Isabelle was going to get caught after all.

Suddenly he heard a rap on his window. Jace leaned over, pulling up the blinds. Isabelle was standing below, throwing pebbles at his window.

"Seriously?" Jace mouthed.

Even through the glass, Isabelle's glare was frightening. "Open the window, jerk!"

Jace smirked, and unlatched the window. Isabelle scrabbled up the wall as best she could, using the tree near the window for support. Jace grabbed her by the arms and heaved her into his room. Isabelle slammed the window shut and kicked off her boots.

"Kids?" came Maryse's voice from the hallway outside. Isabelle and Jace exchanged a panicked look.

Isabelle dived for Jace's dressing gown and tucked it round her, hiding her party dress and stockings. Jace threw himself back down on the bed, grabbing his history textbook.

Maryse opened the door. "You're still awake." she said reprovingly.

Isabelle looked over at her. "Hi, mum. I was just helping Jace to finish his history homework."

Maryse raised an eyebrow. "I think having the textbook the right way up would be a good place to start."

Jace realised his book was upside-down and turned it round sheepishly.

"Well anyway, goodnight kids." Maryse said, coming over to Jace and ruffling his hair. She kissed Isabelle on the cheek and left, with a final "don't stay up too late!"

"What does she think we are, sixth graders?" Isabelle muttered.

Jace threw down the textbook. "I believe some grovelling of thanks is owed."

Isabelle rolled her eyes, but Jace crossed his arms, so she sighed and got down on her knees. "Thank you, oh masterful one, for helping me in this time of peril, I shall forever be in your debt."

Jace smirked. "That will do, I suppose."

"So, about the stranger you texted." Isabelle said, getting up. "What did they say?"

"Oh, nothing." Jace said. "What did you expect, us to become BFFs? I have no idea who they are."

Isabelle looked thoughtful. "No, I suppose not."

Jace threw his pillow at her. "Now if you're done grovelling and trying to hook me up with strangers, get out of my room."

"Hook you up with strangers?" Isabelle looked incredulous as she tossed the pillow back to him. "Why would I ever do that?"

* * *

Clary usually navigated the canteen the same way she navigated the classroom. _Head down, don't make eye-contact with idiots, sit somewhere in the corner._

So she was surprised when she sat down at a table with her lunch tray - and Isabelle Lightwood sat down next to her.

Everyone else at the table looked surprised too. Simon was there, next to Clary of course, as well as Simon's friends Eric and Kirk. Then there was Maia and Jordan, and Maia's friend Bat, and Helen and Aline.

Clary sat with them nearly every day, and never had Isabelle ever graced the table with her presence.

"Hey, Clary." Isabelle said cheerfully. She took a bite of the canteen casserole on her lunch tray and wrinkled her nose. "The food never changes, does it?"

"What's up, Isabelle?" Clary asked hesitantly. Simon had gone slightly red and seemed suddenly very interested in examining his cutlery.

"Oh, nothing much.'' Isabelle said. "Just wanted to know how you all are." She smiled at Clary. "Done anything recently? Did you go out last night?"

"Uhh… no?" Clary had spent most of last night vacuuming, mopping and scrubbing the house.

"Nothing? Really?" Isabelle looked surprised. "Did you talk to anyone?"

"Um…" For some reason Clary thought of the stranger that had texted her last night. "No."

Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "How boring. You didn't even text anyone?"

Simon tensed slightly, not meeting Clary or Isabelle's eyes.

"Well, I mean, someone texted me because they had the wrong number." Clary said, "but no. I didn't talk to anyone."

Isabelle looked disappointed. "Oh. Well, Simon, I just wanted to say thanks for yesterday." she looked at Simon meaningfully.

"Huh." Simon muttered, giving Isabelle a strange look. Clary glanced between them, confused.

"Isabelle." came a familiar voice. Kaelie appeared, hands on her hips.

Today was getting weirder and weirder.

"Are you coming?" Kaelie said curtly.

Clary looked behind over Kaelie's shoulder to see the 'popular' table where Isabelle and Kaelie usually sat. They were looking at Isabelle curiously. Jace had his eyebrows raised.

Isabelle sighed. "Coming." she said, standing up. "Talk later, guys."

And with that, she and Kaelie walked back to their table, leaving Clary, Simon, and everyone else at the table staring after them.

* * *

Jace's first class after lunch was English. He arrived before the bell, which was rare for him, and dropped into a seat at the back.

Sebastian and Jonathan hadn't arrived, Magnus was trying to flirt with Alec, Isabelle was whispering to Meliorn, and Jace was alone.

He looked at the row of seats in front of him for someone to talk to, and spotted Clary's bright red hair, done up in a messy ponytail. Jace went over to talk to her, partly because he felt bad about the Great Pencil-Case Incident from yesterday, and partly because he was bored.

"Hey Clare." Jace said, sinking into the seat next to her.

She didn't even look up. "Go away."

On the other side of her, her friend Sheldon glared at Jace. Jace smirked back.

Sebastian and Jonathan walked in finally, and raised their eyebrows as they saw where Jace was sitting.

"So, I wanted to apologise for yesterday." Jace said casually, ignoring them.

"Don't bother." Clary said, still not looking at him. "You can't help being an idiot."

Simon coughed to hide his snigger. Sebastian and Jonathan didn't bother to hide theirs.

Jace sat up straighter. It wasn't often that a girl talked back to him, apart from Isabelle.

"You make being an idiot sound easy," he said, "when in fact it's a complicated and highly disciplined art."

"You wouldn't know art if it smacked you in the face." Clary said, unimpressed. "Go away, Jace."

She was doodling in her notebook, and when Jace craned his neck he could see she was drawing feathers, shading them carefully. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, and appreciation for her attention to detail.

Sebastian and Jonathan were now laughing, and when Jace turned to glare at them they gave him an ironic thumbs up.

"Don't lie to yourself, Clary darling." Jace said, turning back to Clary. "You don't want me to go away." He expertly grabbed her notebook from her grasp and flicked through the pages. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I found my name scribbled in your precious notebook. Where are all the hearts and nude drawings?"

Cary moved fast, faster than he'd expected. She grabbed the book off him - and thwacked him over the head with it.

Nearly the whole class burst out laughing as Jace stared at her. Lesser boys than him had withered under Clary's piercing green glare.

"You know, maybe you should apologise." she said softly, each word laced with disgust. "You can't help being an idiot, but you definitely can do something about being an asshole."

Jace blinked, for once at a loss for words.

"Class, calm please!" came the english teacher's voice. "Settle down! Jace Herondale, get back into your seat!"

Jace stood up, and walked back to his seat with as much dignity as he could muster. His head was still stinging from the blow. Sebastian clapped him on the back as he sat down. "Very smooth, Jace."

"Shut up."

As the class settled back into order, Jace looked at Clary. Or at least, the back of her head. He kept expecting her to turn around, but she didn't.

There was something about that girl that was different from all the others.

Not that he cared, of course.

* * *

 **Thanks for all the follows and favourites guys! Hope you liked this chapter, and I'll update soon.**

 **SneekAttack101 - thanks so much, I'm really glad you liked it!**

 **Lovesick131 - thank you! I'll update hopefully quite regularly. Love your profile pic, by the way! (does that make me sound creepy?)**

 **agentfandoms74 - I confess I've never heard of Jess &Gabriel is that a crime? :) But if that's their catchphrase or something then they sound really cool and I should check them out sometime.**

 **Missmathdork1608 - why thank you! Glad you liked it, and I'm flattered about my grammar :) I should definitely look up some other Cinderella AUs.**


	5. Chapter 5

~~~Chapter 4~~~

 _They took her beautiful clothes away from her, dressed her in an old gray smock, and gave her wooden shoes._

That night, Clary spent an hour sweeping up hair from the living room.

Camille never bothered to clean up after she cut and styled her customers hair. She left that all for Clary.

Thoroughly hot and disgusted, Clary finally staggered upstairs and lay down on her bed. She pulled out her notebook and tried to sketch out designs for her art piece for the ball - but nothing came to her.

Clary gave up after a while with a huff, and got up to have a shower. She changed into pyjama pants and an old t-shirt and brushed her teeth before collapsing into bed.

And lay there.

Awake.

She rolled over with a sigh to check the time. 11:54pm.

It was no use - Clary couldn't sleep. She sat up with a sigh, running her fingers through her hair. She reached for her sketchbook automatically, before stopping. She wasn't in the mood.

So instead, Clary picked up her crappy old phone, and found Simon's number. She paused just before she called him. Simon was probably asleep, and wouldn't be very happy if she called him this late.

Clary scrolled through her text contacts and noticed the number from last night. _Hot_stuff._

A smile tugged at the corner of Clary's lips as she typed.

 ** _awkward_artist_ 11:55pm **_are you awake?_

She only had to wait a minute before the stranger replied.

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:56pm **_no_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:56pm **_why are you texting me this late_

Clary smirked.

 ** _awkward_artist_ 11:56pm **_i figured i'd return the favour_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 11:56pm **_…plus, i can't sleep_

She tapped the side of her phone as she waited for a reply.

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:57pm **_me neither, actually_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:57pm **_i've heard that counting sheep usually helps_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:57pm **_…not that there are any sheep in your bedroom_

Clary grinned.

 ** _awkward_artist_ 11:57pm **_so you assume…_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:57pm **_o_O_

The sound of a door slamming from below made Clary start. She heard the loud tapping of heels and realised Camille was home from whatever nightclub she'd been to.

 ** _awkward_artist_ 11:58pm **_got to go, i'm not supposed to be on my phone_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 11:58pm **_thanks for the advice_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 11:57pm **_no problem - good luck with your sheep_

Clary threw down her phone and lay back down as she heard Camille coming up the stairs. "You'd better be asleep, Clarissa!" she called.

Clary squeezed her eyes shut as she heard high heels clopping into her room. Camille paused, and Clary could smell gin and perfume.

A long moment passed, and then Camille turned and left. Clary sighed in relief, sitting up again, and turning on the light.

This time, she picked up her sketchbook and flipped to a new page.

And with a smile, she began to sketch… sheep. She only filled up two pages of wooly coats and sleepy animal faces before she fell asleep herself.

* * *

If it had been Jace's choice, he never would have signed up for Art class. Art Tech class was bad enough - but art class was nothing but drawing and painting, both things he was terrible at.

It had not been Jace's choice, however.

Isabelle had wanted to be a fashion designer since she was about two year old, and so she'd signed up for both Art and Art Tech class. This meant that Seelie and Kaelie had signed up too, as what ever Isabelle did was what they should do, apparently.

And what with Kaelie's constant nagging for Jace to join, Isabelle's raised eyebrows as she handed him the pen to write his name on the sign up sheet, and Alec's pleading expression (Isabelle and Magnus had bullied him into signing up too), Jace had agreed to both art classes.

After all, he could only do so much sport electives before the teachers told him to try something else.

But as Jace stared down at his blank canvas that morning, he knew he was screwed.

The art teacher was away and they had a sub - Mr. Benedict. The strictest teacher in the school. Just Jace's luck.

Fortunately, Mr. Benedict was out getting coffee, which gave Jace time to to complain to Sebastian beside him about the work. "How are we supposed to _paint_ an emotion? It's the stupidest assignment I've ever heard."

"It's not that hard." Jonathan said. His canvas was already half swirling with paint. "Just go for cliche colours and things. Blue means sadness, red means anger, that kind of thing."

"What colour represents utter sexiness?" Jace asked with interest.

"This." Magnus held up his canvas, which was coated in glitter and painted all colours of the rainbow. "Like you, Alec." he added.

Alec looked up in surprise. "I'm not sure I'm a very rainbow person." he said.

Isabelle's cough sounded suspiciously like a snort.

A row in front of them, Jace could see Clary already hard at work. Her canvas had the silhouette of a bent figure, drowning in the dark waves of paint.

A shiver went up Jace's spine. He recognised the emotion immediately - grief. He'd felt it enough.

"You're staring at her again." Sebastian said, one eyebrow raised.

Jace looked over with a start. "Was I?"

Sebastian looked between him and Clary with a smirk, before holding up his paintbrush. "Bet you can't flick her with paint from back here."

Jace snatched the paintbrush away. "I could so."

Sebastian crossed his arms. "Show me."

Jace looked over at Clary. Her shirt was already splattered with paint, a bit more wouldn't hurt. He thought of his first rule, _stop caring._

Jace flicked his paint. It hit its mark perfectly, spattering Clary on the neck with red.

"Told you," Jace said triumphantly to Sebastian.

Clary turned round in her seat, her green eyes meeting his own.

The next thing Jace knew, he was spattered across the face with dark blue paint, and Clary was smirking.

Sebastian burst out laughing, and Jace stood up with as much dignity as he could muster. He held out his paintbrush. Clary held out her paintbrush.

"Fi-ight! Fi-ight!" Sebastian, Jonathan, Magnus and Isabelle chanted.

"Oh my god." Alec muttered.

Clary put down her paintbrush, grabbed the whole bottle of paint, and squirted Jace with it.

Jace stumbled backwards. "My hair!" he yelled, grabbing his red paint and squirting.

Clary ducked, and the paint whizzed across the room, hitting her friend Sheldon in the head. He jumped up with a yell and chucked his jug of paint water at Jace, which drenched him.

Jace squirted his paint again, but Clary snatched it from out of his grasp and squirted him with both colours.

Jace grabbed Magnus' array of rainbow paints and tipped the yellow one over Clary's head.

She stumbled backwards with a shout, and hurled a paint bottle at him. It hit Jace on the head, and he tripped over his chair and crashed onto the floor, spilling paint everywhere.

"Ow!" Jace yelled. "Alec! Isabelle!"

Alec held Jace up with a sigh. "Moron." he said affectionately.

"Avenge me!" Jace yelled. Clary threw a paint pallet at him.

Jace ducked just in time, and it splattered against the wall, making the class jump. The whole class was watching them, some had pulled out their phones and were filming.

Clary and her friend Sheldon stood together, facing Jace, Alec and Isabelle. Sebastian leaned back in his chair, watching with delight. Clary and Jace were dripping with paint, but Jace was grinning as Clary glared at him.

In fact, he was still looking at her as Sheldon threw a paintbrush at him.

It hit Jace across the nose, and he stumbled. Isabelle picked up a spray-can of pink paint and sprayed Sheldon, who strangely looked quite happy to be attacked by her.

Jace lunged for Magnus' bottle of glitter - and tipped the whole thing over Clary. She slipped in the paint and fell to the ground with a yell, feet kicking out. Her foot kicked Jace in the knee and he went down too, landing on top of her.

"Get off me!" Clary yelled, struggling underneath him.

Jace propped himself up over her and smirked. "I must say, glittery yellow is not really your colour."

Indeed, Clary was still soaked with neon paint and glitter. She glared at him, her arms pinned to the floor by his knees.

What he had not accounted for, however, was that he would get distracted by her eyes, leaving her free to get him in the stomach with her knee.

Jace fell sideways with a yell, and Clary disentangled herself from him to stand up, before tipping a whole can of green paint over him.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" a voice yelled. Everyone froze as Mr. Benedict stormed into the room. He sized up the dripping walls, the spattered desks, the rainbow coloured floor. Then his eyes went immediately to Jace, and to Clary standing over him, still clutching the now-empty paint can.

"Do I even want to know?" he asked, voice dangerously quiet.

"No, sir." Jace said.

"Get up, Herondale!" Mr. Benedict roared, making everyone jump. "A weeks-worth of detentions for both of you! And you'll stay in this classroom until it is completely cleaned up!"

He stormed over to Clary and snatched the paint tin away from her. "I expected far better from you, Miss Fray." He threw the paint tin to the ground with a horrible clatter. "And as for you, Mr. Herondale," he glared at Jace, "I can't say I'm surprised! And the rest of you," he glared round at the rest of the class, "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

The class scurried out of the room, Isabelle, Alec, Magnus and Sheldon leaving unnoticed. They looked over at Jace and Clary apologetically as they left.

It was indeed a great start to the morning, Jace thought with a sigh.


	6. Chapter 6

**Whoop! I keep forgetting to put in a disclaimer!**

 ***Clears throat* I would like to state that I do not own any of these characters - much as I love them. They are their own people, not some crazy fangirl's possessions. Just kidding - these characters all belong to Cassandra Clare. Part of the basic plot also belongs to Cassandra Clare, but the writing and the ideas are mine!**

 **Oh, and the quotes at the start of each chapter come from different sources of the Cinderella story text.**

 **\- s.i**

* * *

~~~Chapter 5~~~  
 _"Just look at the proud princess! How decked out she is!" they shouted and laughed._

Clary spent the whole detention sketching in her notebook and studiously avoiding looking at Jace. She'd drawn out a whole draft for her art piece, and she was nearly ready to start on the real thing.

Clary wouldn't have bothered with the formal ball at all if it wasn't for the art project… and the people that would be there.

Mr. Fell, in particular.

When the art tech teacher, Mrs. Blackthorn, had said Mr. Fell's name, Clary had been sure she'd misheard.

Mr. Fell probably didn't even remember Clary. But she'd often thought about their brief meeting, only a few months ago.

And she was determined to show him he was wrong.

 _Clary's fingers dug into the soft leather of the armchair as she sat nervously, looking at the man on the other side of the desk._

 _He had her portfolio spread out before him, and was looking through it with an unreadable expression. The portfolio was full of art - things Clary had been working on for almost a year. Pencil sketches, watercolored backgrounds, and sometimes paint for the bolder pictures._

 _Letting this man see her portfolio felt like letting him see a part of her she'd never shared, like a piece of her soul. Clary had a horrible urge to grab the pictures off him and run, but she forced herself to stay in her chair._

 _The man - Mr. Ragnor Fell, his name was, - finally looked back up at Clary. She swallowed._

 _"You are certainly a very talented girl." Mr. Fell said finally, leaning back in his chair. "It's no wonder you want this scholarship."_

 _Clary didn't know what to say, so she kept her mouth shut._

 _"But…" Mr. Fell examined the non-existent dirt under his perfectly kept nails, "I'm sure you also know what Idris Academy is looking for when we offer this scholarship."_

 _"…I'm sorry?" Clary asked, not understanding._

 _Mr. Fell looked back up at her. "Your drawings are very good, Miss Fray, but we have many students who can draw well at this school. Better than you, some of them. Anyone can pick up a pencil and draw, but we're looking for someone who's interested in_ all _art."_

 _Clary blinked._

 _"Someone who can combine their sketching with their sculpting skills, or their painting with their graphic designs." Mr. Fell paused, his eyes boring into Clary. He leaned forwards. "We want someone who sees the links between art and the world, someone who thinks of the world as art itself, and everyday as another masterpiece in waiting."_

 _Each word seemed to hit Clary like a blow. She nodded, unsure of what else to do. Her fingers were gripping the chair so hard they were turning white._

 _"So I'm sorry, Miss Fray." Fell said, leaning back again. "I'm afraid you don't meet the criteria for this scholarship."_

 _Clary stood up, stuffing her work back into her portfolio case. Her face was probably as red as her hair._

 _"Thank you for your time, Mr. Fell." she muttered, turning to go. "I'll show myself out."_

 _Each step to the door felt painful. Clary yanked on the handle and was just about to go when -_

 _"Miss Fray? One more thing." Fell called from behind her._

 _Clary turned around._

 _"Don't let this stop you doing what you love." he said. "It's obvious your work means a lot to you."_

 _"Just not enough." Clary muttered, and then she was out the door and sprinting down the corridor, out into fresh air._

 _Clary was furious, and she knew it was stupid of her. She was angry with Mr. Fell, for being so curt, for casually insulting something that was as much a part of her as her heart. And she was angry with herself, for believing, just for once, that she was good enough._

 _"I'm not just a little girl." Clary muttered to herself as she walked out into the street. "And I'll prove to him I can do far more than draw pretty flowers."_

Because if there was one thing Clary hated doing, it was giving up.

She'd been dreaming about going to Idris Academy of the Arts for as long as she could remember. It was far away, sure, but she could could board on campus, earning her keep.

It wasn't just the school, the opportunity to do what she loved. It was also the fact that she'd be leaving everything behind, her stepsisters, Camille, ghosts of memories.

The only thing Clary would miss was Simon.

He'd offered to have her stay with him before, but Clary knew Simon's mother wouldn't be able to keep her, and she didn't want to be a burden. She didn't want to live on charity. She wanted to _do_ something, something she loved.

Like art.

And so Clary was determined to do make the most spectacular art piece ever for the ball, so Mr. Fell would see and change his mind about refusing to give her a scholarship.

She would do it.

She would.

And then she could wave everything goodbye.

"Uh… Clary?" Jace's voice broke Clary out of her thoughts.

She looked up. "Y- yes?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You were staring into space, drawing on your arm."

Clary looked down to see she had been absentmindedly doodling on her wrist instead of her notebook. "Oh."

"You totally spaced out," Jace said, pulling his feet off the desk in front of him and standing up. "And we're free to go, you know."

Clary looked around and saw the teacher had left. She picked up her bag and made for the door, walking fast so she wouldn't have to make conversation with Jace. But he caught up to her easily with long, casual strides.

Clary sped up. Jace matched her pace with no effort. "Which way are you walking?" he asked.

 _In the opposite direction from you,_ she thought. "Why do you care?"

Jace raised both his eyebrows this time. "I don't, particularly. Geez."

They reached the gates of the school and stepped out into the quiet street. Everyone else had gone home.

Clary turned left and walked fast in the direction of her house. Jace followed. "You live this way too?" he asked.

"Obviously."

Jace threw up his hands. "Okay, I won't try to make small talk. Are you always like this?"

Clary gave him a cool look. "Not with people I like."

"You wound me, woman." he put a hand to his chest. "Truely, I am wounded."

"Oh, shut up."

Clary turned quickly into a side street she'd never been down before in an effort to lose him. "I go this way." she said.

"Cool. See you tomorrow then." Jace said easily, continuing past.

"I'll look forward to it." she muttered.

Sarcastically, of course.

* * *

Jace seemed to have gotten Clary's hint in the second detention. He sat in the very back corner of the classroom, taking out his phone when the teacher wasn't looking.

He didn't speak to Clary once, which was fine with her.

Clary pulled out her phone too, a hand-me down from her charming step-sisters. It didn't even turn on half the time these days.

Clary texted Simon for a while, until he said something about finishing homework. Then she scrolled through her pitiful contact list, before landing on the Mysterious Stranger.

Bored and with nothing to lose, Clary texted a simple " _u there?"_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 3:39pm **_as a matter of fact, yes_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 3:39pm **_what u doing? i'm stuck in detention_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 3:39pm **_*gasp*_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 3:39pm **_do tell_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 3:40pm **_well, it wasn't my fault, but i got in a fight with some idiot and now im in detention with him_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 3:40pm **_it might have been slightly my fault_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 3:40pm **_thats so weird! I'm in detention too - for accidentally getting into a fight with some girl who hates me_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 3:40pm **_…well good to know I'm not alone_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 3:40pm **_yeah. so you're in high school too?_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 3:41pm **_sorry, that sounds creepy - I'm not a stalker or anything i promise_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 3:41pm **_isn't that what all stalkers would say?_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 3:41pm **_*laughs nervously*_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 3:41pm **_but yeah i go to high school. i cant wait to get out_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 3:41pm **_tell me about it._

Clary was surprised to find how easy the stranger was to talk to, how good it was to share her life with someone who would never be affected by it.

She looked over at Jace a few times, but he was still hunched over his own phone, smiling slightly.

Probably texting his latest girlfriend, she thought, and rolled her eyes.

* * *

 **Hey everyone, thanks for all the favourites and follows. Sorry if this chapter was a bit dry, I had to get all the background stuff out of the way. Things should start heating up soon!**

 **agentfandoms74 - haha thank you!**

 **Sneekattack101 - thanks so much, I'm glad you think so. Hopefully Jace and Clary stay easy to ship ;)**

 **ThatBlondeALB & Guest - thank you, hopefully I'll keep updating soon!**

 **MissMathDork1608 - Ikr I would totally pay to see Clary hit Jace with her sketchbook! Yes Mr. Benedict is based of Benedict Lightwood, but I couldn't call him Mr Lightwood because then he would sound like Isabelle's and Alec's father. Bleugh! The sheep idea is so good, I wish I thought of that! Sadly I've already written it out, and Jace and Clary find out their secret in a different way...**

 **KylarKvothe - Thanks! The idea is to make Jace kind of hatable at the start - Clary obviously thinks so - but hopefully he'll start to become worthy :) And hopefully this story does the classic Cinderella story justice! Also PS - is your username from The Name of the Wind?**

 **Thanks for all the supportive comments guys, they really motivate me to keep writing!**

 **-s.i**


	7. Chapter 7

~~~Chapter 6~~~

 _There she had to do hard work from morning until evening, get up before daybreak, carry water, make the fires, cook, and wash._

Clary was glad when the week finally ended.

She spent a lot of the weekend cleaning up the house, and Camille made her a list of a pile of materials for her shop, which took Clary all Saturday to buy.

On Sunday, Clary carefully traced out her design for the school ball artwork on black fabric, and decided to walk down to the art shop to buy some more supplies. She needed some sequins, some paint, and a lot of feathers.

But when Clary arrived at the art shop, she was horrified to see a fat _for sale_ sign on the shop window. Clary peered inside, but the shop was half cleared out and empty. She'd been going to this place for as long as she could remember, often not because she needed to buy anything, but just to look at all the supplies and dream.

Clary huffed and set off down the road to find somewhere else. Brooklyn was its usual self today, busy, messy and loud. Cars honked and people yelled and lights flashed.

Clary stopped in front of a little shop, old and half hidden between buildings. _G & F Books and Art, _it read on a peeling sign. Clary looked through the window and smiled as she saw the bright shelves of pencils and paint.

She stepped inside and breathed in the smell of paper and paints with a sigh. The back walls were lined with books, but there were shelves and shelves of art supplies too. Clary found what she needed and went over to the counter, fumbling for her wallet.

A man came out from the back room and stopped short when he saw her. He was tall and dark, his glasses perched crookedly in his messy hair.

Clary put her items on the counter. "Um…"

He snapped out of his reverie and hurried over. "Just these today, miss?"

"Yes, thank you."

He blinked as she spoke and stared at her again. Clary was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. "What is it?" she asked.

He shook his head, embarrassed, and put her items in a bag. "I'm sorry, you just look a bit like… someone I know. That's all."

Clary took the bag, payed, and hurried out of the shop. She was glad to put some space between her and that guy, who did seem nice enough, but creeped her out slightly. She'd never met him before. She wondered who he knew that looked like her.

Next, Clary went to the supermarket to buy something for dinner. She dumped everything in a trolley and payed for it with the allowance Camille gave her - to be used only to buy food, of course.

Clary shoved everything into shopping bags and was just about to walk back home when -

"Clary, is that you?"

Clary sighed, turning round. Was everyone going to recognise her today?

Isabelle was standing in the paying line, holding a bag of sugar and a packet of chocolate chips. Beside her, looking bored, were Alec and Jace.

"Um… hi?" Clary said.

Isabelle looked delighted. "You'll be able to help us! I'm going to make chocolate chip cookies - "

"She's going to _try_ to make chocolate chip cookies." Alec interrupted.

"Her last attempt, we nearly had to call the fire brigade." Jace added.

"Oh shut up. They weren't that burnt," Isabelle said, undeterred.

Clary blinked.

"Anyway, Clary. Can you come and help me?" Isabelle asked. "These two usually spend the whole time eating the chocolate chips and making rude comments about my cooking abilities."

"Honesty is the best policy." Jace smirked.

"Um… I'm not sure if I can - " Clary began.

"Course you can come!" Isabelle said, grabbing Clary's arm before she could get away. "Don't be stupid."

And that was how, much to her surprise, Clary found herself crammed in the back of Alec's car with Isabelle and Jace, talking about chocolate chip cookies. At least, Isabelle talked about chocolate chip cookies. Clary spent most of the trip trying not to bash into Jace when Alec went round corners.

The Lightwoods' house was big. Actually, it was huge. Modern, flashy and expensive. Alec parked carefully in front of the house and they all clambered out of the car, Clary still clutching her shopping bags.

The house was different on the inside. More… lived in. The walls were decorated with pictures, photos of Isabelle, Alec and sometimes Jace as toddlers, and artworks they had done. The kitchen was bright and big, cluttered with utensils. Isabelle dumped her ingredients on the bench and turned to Clary. "Right. Let's make cookies."

Clary had spent a lot of her life cleaning up after and baking for her step-sisters and mother, and if there was one thing she was confident about, it was making chocolate chip cookies.

Clary ordered Jace to beat the butter, and Alec to crack the eggs. She stopped Isabelle just before the whole bottle of vanilla was poured into the mixture.

About half the chocolate chips had mysteriously disappeared by the time Clary added them to the mix, but Alec, Isabelle and Jace all flashed her innocent smiles.

They crowded round the bench together, rolling out the doughy mixture, and shoving each other with their elbows. Isabelle was sprinkled with flour, and both Alec and Jace had chocolate smears on their faces.

Clary was surprised to realise that she was actually having fun as they finally stuffed the cookies in the oven.

Isabelle enveloped her in a hug. "You are amazing thanks so much!" she said happily, getting flour in Clary's hair.

Isabelle wasn't that bad after all, Clary decided.

* * *

Just before the cookies were out of the oven, Magnus mysteriously appeared, claiming he had smelt the chocolate from a mile away.

"Alec, you texted him, didn't you?" Jace said, rounding on Alec. "Traitor! Now there's less cookies for us!"

Alec went red. "I don't know what you're talking about."

But the cookies did indeed smell heavenly as they took them out of the oven. Buttery, tinged with the scent of melted chocolate.

"They look _amazing_!" Isabelle clapped her hands.

Jace reached for one but Clary slapped his hand away. "Wait for them to cool down, or you'll burn yourself, idiot."

It was torture waiting for the cookies to cool, but they distracted themselves by setting up the table with fancy cloths and cutlery.

"We'll have a proper high tea." Isabelle decided. "Clary, why don't you text Simon? He can come over too."

"Who's Simon?" Jace asked.

Both Clary and Isabelle glared at him.

Simon came around just as they were setting out the cookies on a platter. He looked around in surprise and then at Clary, who shrugged as if to say _I have no idea how I got here._

The cookies… were delicious.

Afterwards, Clary and Jace got voted for washing up duty.

"I'll wash, you dry." Clary said, turning on the taps in the sink and adding detergent.

Jace grabbed a towel. "So." he said conversationally. "Bet you never thought you'd be washing dishes with me, miss high-and-mighty."

Clary ignored him.

"I mean, one day you're dumping paint over my head, the next you're eating cookies with me." Jace continued, grinning.

Clary ignored him.

"I shouldn't be surprised." Jace said, stacking up the washed plates. "My charm attracts everyone. Even the most hard-hearted come round eventually."

Clary looked over at him with raised eyebrows. "Oh yes?"

Jace smirked at her. "See? It only took me a week to win you over."

Clary splashed him with the dishcloth.

Isabelle smirked behind them. "Ah, young love."

* * *

And so, strangely enough, Clary found herself talking to the Lightwoods more and more, and going over to their house strangely often.

She couldn't quite understand why they were suddenly being so nice, only that Isabelle was convinced that Clary was the next Master Chef, and teasing Clary was Jace's favourite pastime.

Clary found that she didn't hate them all quite as much any more.

She didn't hate them at all, if she was being honest.

The other person Clary had made fast friends with was the stranger she'd been texting. She talked to them mainly just before midnight, before Camille got home.

Clary found herself telling the stranger nearly everything about her life, and she was kind of worried. Brooklyn High had done many lessons about cyber-safety before.

So when the stranger finally asked Clary her name, she remembered one of the tips they'd been given at school. _Never give your name. Not your first name, not your full name. Your middle name can be a good alias._

So Clary had told the stranger her name was Adele. It wasn't technically a lie, her full name was Clarissa Adele Fray. But no one knew her middle name, apart from her stepmother and Simon.

 _Adele's a pretty name,_ the stranger had replied. _Nice to meet you, Adele. My name is Christopher._

 _You're a boy?_ she had typed.

 _Last time I checked, yes,_ was the answer.

Clary had blushed. She found out that Christopher also lived in New York.

 _Whereabouts?_ she asked. _Maybe I can come meet you some day._

 _Brooklyn,_ he had replied, _the classiest place in town._

So Christopher was somewhere nearby, also looking at his phone. She could have passed him on the street before and never guessed.

The idea that they were so close made him seem a lot more real.

But Clary didn't have much time to think about Christopher. Camille was keeping her extra busy, forcing her to help out in the shop and restock on makeup supplies almost every day.

And then of course, Clary was busy with her project. She had sewn in all the feathers in the shape of huge wings, and had painted the angel as a girl, looking back over her shoulder. The girl was made of rough, bold paint strokes, white lines and splatters.

Clary spent hours sewing on the sequins and beads and lace and ribbons, making the angel's dress, and the glitter and clouds around her. The fabric was black, but it was shimmering with light the more Clary added to it.

She'd had to go back to the art shop for supplies only once, and it had been an as strange as before. This time, instead of the man at the counter, it had been a woman. Clary had done a double take when she'd seen her.

The woman had long red hair - as fiery as Clary's own. Her eyes were the same piercing green. Clary and the lady had stared at each other for a moment, before Clary had pulled herself together. There were plenty of people with red hair and green eyes, it wasn't that much of a coincidence.

Luckily, Isabelle - who had also been shopping with Clary - dragged her away before the woman said anything to Clary, although she had the suspicion that the woman had watched her the whole way out of the shop.

But Clary quickly put that out of her mind.

For the actual ball, which drew ever closer, Clary hadn't bought a dress. She already had the perfect one.

Under Clary's bed was a trunk, full of her mother's things. Useless, faded things, mostly, but Clary treasured them. There were yellowed pages of rough sketches, and ripped paintings. There were some old shirts and dried paints, and brushes speckled with colour. There was a coffee mug, a few necklaces, a torn photo. There wasn't much else.

But right at the bottom was her mother's dress.

It perhaps wasn't perfect for a ball, being black in colour, but Clary loved it.

It fit her perfectly, hugging her chest, but then sweeping out below her hips in floaty waves like the ocean at night. The black brought out the green of Clary's eyes even more, and made her look older. The gown swished past her ankles, so she walked like she was floating.

There was only one problem, which was Clary didn't have shoes.

The only pair she owned, really, were the sneakers she was wearing now. Red, dirty, faded, and covered with little sharpie drawings she had doodled over them. The left sneaker was peeling.

Definitely ball worthy material, Clary thought with a sigh.

* * *

 **So the ball draws ever closer... hope you liked this chapter, and please leave a review!**


	8. Chapter 8

~~~Chapter 7~~~

 _"Why should that stupid goose sit in the parlor with us?" they said. "If she wants to eat bread, then she will have to earn it. Out with this kitchen maid!"_

It was lunch, and Jace was lying with his head on the table, trying not to listen to Kaelie.

She was prattling on about - surprise, surprise - the ball.

"My dress has to match your complexion, Jace, so I'm thinking gold, maybe, to go with your hair. I don't know whether to make it frilly or tight? Tight, I think. And short, definitely. And it'll have to be custom made, of course. I'll send away for it soon, mummy has a good friend who can make it for me. Oh and I'll need to wear heels, because you're taller than me, Jace, but I only have six pairs at home so I'll need so buy some more to choose from. Gold to match my dress? And I'll get them as tall as they come. Maybe with rhinestones. My hair will have to be curled too, and I'll need a new nail manicure…"

Jace felt his eyes slipping closed. He wasn't the only one. Isabelle was picking at her nails, Sebastian and Jonathan were rolling their eyes at each other, Alec was gazing into the distance, and Magnus was gazing at Alec. Meliorn was watching Kaelie, but his eyes were glazed and unfocused. Even Seelie was trying not to yawn.

Kaelie looked around to see who was paying attention to her. Her eyes caught on someone over Jace's shoulder, and she sneered. "Little miss artist freak is looking at us again."

Jace looked over his shoulder to see Clary, a few tables away. She was looking at Kaelie in particular, smirking slightly. Simon said something to her and she laughed.

"Gossiping about us, I expect." Kaelie said. "Probably wishes she could be sitting with us."

"I'm not sure she does." Isabelle muttered, having seen Clary's smirk as well.

"Honestly, she's such a try-hard." Kaelie said loudly, trying to draw attention. "Look at her clothes! Her t-shirt is three sizes too big and has paint all over it, and her jeans are all ripped. Seriously!"

 _Ah_ , Jace thought, _Kaelie's switched to her other favourite topic, making fun of people._ He put his head back on the table.

"And her hair!" Seelie added. "Does she even bother to brush it?"

"I know!" Kaelie agreed. "And it's such an ugly colour! She should totally dye it!"

"Oh, shut up, Kaelie." Jace said wearily. Clary's hair was fine. He hadn't been staring at it or anything, but it was a deep auburn colour, like autumn leaves or a crackling fire. Not that he had spent a whole minute thinking about it, of course.

"Excuse me?" Kaelie asked. "Did you just tell me to shut up?" She glared down at Jace.

"Did I?" Jace asked innocently.

Kaelie crossed her arms, looking back over at Clary. "my stepsister is such a freak, I wish I wasn't related to her."

Seelie nodded in agreement.

Jace sat up. "Maybe being a freak runs in the family." he said with a cool gaze.

"Burn." Isabelle said delightedly.

Kaelie glared at Jace. "Was that - "

"An insult?" Jace asked, suddenly sick of the whole thing. "It was, actually. Glad you picked that up."

There was a long silence. Alec raised his eyebrows. Sebastian smirked. "Here we go." Isabelle muttered.

Kaelie drew herself to her full height, glossed lips pouting. "How dare you say that, Jace! I'm your _girlfriend_!"

Jace looked her straight in the eyes. He knew he was going to regret this later, but he couldn't bring himself to care right then. "Kaelie, I've been your boyfriend for a while now, and I can't recall a single time you've asked me how I am, or what I'm doing on the weekend, or - or anything about me, really. You're either gossiping over some poor girl or planning out your outfits for parties or whining if I so much as open my mouth!"

Jace was on his feet for some reason, he couldn't remember standing up. It had been a crap week, and he was tired, and he was sick of Kaelie, sick of everyone.

Sebastian was no longer smirking, but glaring at Jace instead, his expression saying _what do you think you're doing, idiot? Shut up!_

Jace ignored him.

Kaelie's was glowering. Funnily enough, she didn't look that pretty when she was mad. "I annoy you, do I?"

Jace was internally yelling at himself to shut up. He was breaking all the rules, but he didn't care. He couldn't stop now.

"Yes, Kaelie, you do. And I'm starting to wonder why I'm going out with you."

Kaelie burst in to tears. "I am _not_ going to dance at the ball with _you,_ Jace Herondale!"

Jace almost laughed. " _That's_ your comeback?"

Kaelie stood up, pushing in her chair. "I am not talking to you ever again!"

"Good," he said savagely, "since I'm breaking up with you!"

Kaelie's mascara had started to run. She turned to Seelie and sobbed on her shoulder - probably more for dramatic effect than for anything else. This was going to be a huge gossip topic later.

Isabelle, Alec, Sebastian, Jonathan, Magnus, and even Meliorn were glaring at Jace. As well as half the kids in the canteen.

Jace picked up his bag and left.

He was just done.

* * *

Jace, Isabelle and Alec were silent as Alec drove them home that day.

Jace was staring out the window, glowering, when Isabelle finally spoke. "Jace, you're an idiot, but I kind of love you for it."

Jace blinked. "Thanks."

Isabelle smiled at him. "If it makes you feel better, I broke up with Meliorn too, after you left. It must have been something in the air."

"Huh."

"Isabelle, you break up with someone every second day." Alec said from the front.

"True," Isabelle admitted, "but I've never done it with Jace's dramatic flare before."

Jace was slightly miffed that she was so casual about the whole thing. "I thought you were mad."

Isabelle gave him an incredulous look. "Kaelie's a prissy cow, I was mad at you for going out with her in the first place!"

Jace felt it would have been rude to smile, even for him. Instead, he said, "Sebastian was mad, though."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Sebastian needs to get his head out of his ass and see that life isn't about sport and having a pretty girlfriend. He'll get over it."

"Dunno why he'd even care." Jace muttered.

"Because," Alec said, "you're popular, and he doesn't want you to be an outcast. His reputation could be hurt as well as yours."

"Alec," Isabelle said, "for someone so clueless, you can be strangely wise."

"How am I clueless?" Alec demanded.

Isabelle's cough sounded suspiciously like "Magnus."

Probably for the first time that day, Jace laughed.


	9. Chapter 9

~~~Chapter 8~~~

 _She was taken to the young prince, dressed as she was. He thought she was more charming than before._

Clary had just finished her homework when she got a text from Isabelle. _Come over?_

Clary sighed, stretched, and thought guiltily about the shopping list Camille had left her. Oh well. She'd do it later.

It was a short walk from Clary's house to the Lightwoods', and she knew it well now. Clary knocked on the front door and it opened almost straight away.

Alec smiled at her, dressed in one of his usual dark sweaters. "Hey, Clary."

"Hi Alec." she replied, stepping inside.

Alec had been slightly frosty to Clary when she'd first come over, but had slowly warmed up to her. Often he would lean with his elbow on her head, claiming she was the perfect height for an armrest. Then he would have to dodge as Clary tried to poke him.

"Jace is upstairs." Alec said.

"What makes you think I wanted to see Jace?" Clary narrowed her eyes at him.

Alec smirked. "Well, for starters, the way you react when I mention him."

Clary crossed her arms. "There is a difference between being annoyed and having a crush, Alec."

Alec lifted his hands. "I never said anything about having a crush! Though it's interesting you came to that conclusion."

Clary glared at him. "Ha ha. I hardly think _you're_ qualified to lecture me on the subject."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Where's Magnus?" Clary asked sweetly.

Alec went red. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Exactly." Clary said, and went upstairs.

She found Isabelle in her room, which was big and messy and full of clothes.

"Clary!" Isabelle said, bounding up from where she'd been lying on her bed.

"What were you doing?" Clary asked. "Contemplating life?"

"Actually no. I was sulking from my breakup with Meliorn."

"Really?"

Isabelle grinned. "No. I tried to, but I couldn't bring myself to be sad."

Clary raised an eyebrow. "Well then, what should we do?" she asked.

"Let's watch a bad movie and make fun of the script," Isabelle said, getting her computer.

"Sure."

They ended up watching _Mean Girls,_ which Isabelle thought was hilarious and Clary thought was strangely relatable (but still terrible, of course).

Then they watched _Mean Girls 2._ Then they managed to talk about nothing in particular for half an hour. It was strange, Clary thought, how nice Isabelle was, once you really got to know her. And only if she bothered to get to know _you,_ of course.

But soon after, Isabelle's phone beeped, and she looked at Clary guiltily after she read the message on it. "Clary, I'm sorry, but my ball dress is ready for me to pick up. Do you mind if I…?"

"Sure." Clary said, getting up. "I should probably be getting home anyway."

"You can come if you want," Isabelle offered, but Clary had no intention of spending the rest of the evening getting a dress. "That's alright." she said quickly.

"At least stay here for a bit." Isabelle said. "Jace is also probably sulking over _his_ breakup, and I bet you can talk some sense into him."

Clary, who had heard the commotion at lunch that day, grinned. "That was a pretty epic breakup."

Isabelle sighed dreamily. "I know. I kind of wish I'd got to yell at Kaelie too."

"Don't we all." Clary muttered. "Okay, I'll stay, but not for much longer."

Isabelle blew her a kiss before waltzing out the door. Clary stayed in her room for a few minutes before she heard the sound of a TV from the living room nearby.

Upon discovery, she found Jace sprawled on the couch, watching some violent looking movie with lots of screaming and bad special effects.

"Clary." Jace said, looking up. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Isabelle just left to get a dress." Clary said, slightly defensively. "She told me you were sulking and I should try and talk some sense into you."

"Huh." The corner of Jace's mouth quirked up. He looked tired, his hair was mussed and his shirt was creased, but his eyes - if anything - seemed to glow brighter than usual. Clary caught herself staring and looked away, trying not to blush. _Stupid,_ she told herself.

"I bet you heard all about my drama." Jace said in a would-be causal voice.

"I heard it first hand." Clary said, her voice coming out sharper than she'd meant it to. "You guys didn't exactly bother to keep your voices down."

On the TV, a guy screamed as he experienced a particularly gruesome death. Jace paused the movie and leaned back into the couch, surveying Clary with his gold gaze. "Why do I always get the feeling you kind of hate me?" he asked softly.

Clary was taken aback. "Uh - "

Jace raised an eyebrow, still speaking causally. "I see it in your eyes when I speak. I see it when you say my name, in your voice when you _deign_ to speak to me."

Clary couldn't keep back her flush this time. She clasped her hands together. "Do you want to hear some of the highlights of my life?"

This time, Jace looked taken aback. "Uh, go ahead…?"

Clary looked at him cooly. "Year seven," she began, "my first day. Sebastian, Jonathan, _you,_ and some other idiots thought it would be funny to steal my bag, and leave the contents all over the school. I spent hours searching for all my books, and nearly broke my arm getting my sketchbook off the roof of the office building."

Jace looked startled. "That wasn't me, I - "

Clary interrupted him. "Year eight," she said loudly, "my _lovely_ step-sisters Kaelie and Seelie decided they couldn't be bothered doing homework and made me do all theirs instead. One day I decided to get them back, and wrote both of their english essays badly on purpose. They got Cs in the subject." She took a breath. "They yelled at me. Kaelie scratched me, and she'd just gotten her nails done that week. I had the cut marks on my face for a month afterwards."

"But I didn't - "

" _Year nine,"_ Clary cut him off loudly, "Sebastian decided he had a crush on me, and asked me out, in front of half the school. When I said no, he decided to tell everyone that I was a selfish prude, and no one talked to me for a month apart from Simon."

"Clary, that wasn't me - "

"Year ten? At the start of this year?" Clary continued, "Kaelie and Seelie decided it would be funny to spread _more_ rumours about me. As I recall, I was, quote unquote, the _weird artist freak_ who had no friends. And if anyone talked to me, Kaelie and Seelie would make it their business to ruin that person's reputation - and quite probably, life."

"Clary…"

"Yes?" she fixed him with a cool stare. "I don't hate _you_ specifically, Jace. It's just that those aren't the only _happy_ memories of mine that involve the _popular_ kids at school tormenting me. I just - I don't know, kind of hate anyone who's popular on principle." Her voice rose. "Because surely none of you could get so popular without stuffing up another person's life? Because you all are so _obsessed,_ with your image and reputation, that you would agree to anything to keep your position - because what if you refused, and your _friends_ turned on you?"

Jace was sitting up straight now. Clary was breathing hard. "You just don't get it," she said softly, "how it feels when you're the outcast, when you're _alone._ You act so cocky, and you're so privileged, and I can't really help hating you, Jace Herondale."

 _Sometimes, Clary, you really should keep your mouth shut,_ she thought.

Jace's expression was neutral, but his jaw had tightened. "Come with me," he said, standing up.

"Uh - "

"Come on," he repeated, grabbing Clary's arm and dragging her out of the room. They walked down the corridor to a room at the end of the house.

It was a bedroom, a very _neat_ bedroom. The bed was made, there was no clothes on the floor or books on the desk. It looked almost… unlived-in.

"This is my room." Jace said, walking inside and slumping on the bed.

Clary stood in the doorway. "You live here?"

Jace had been at the Lightwoods' every time she'd come over, sure, but she had just assumed Jace was really good friends with them. After all, Jace wasn't a Lightwood himself.

Jace nodded. He lay back on his bed, looking at the ceiling. "I was ten." he said quietly. Clary had to step forwards to hear him. "I was only ten when my father, my only family, was killed in a car accident. My mother had died long before, and I was alone."

Clary wrapped her arms around herself. She recognised the grief in his voice. "Jace, I - "

"I was in the car too." Jace continued, still not looking at her. "I saw my father die, I watched as he stopped struggling under the wreckage. I knew I was alone." his voice broke slightly. "But the Lightwoods, who had always been family friends, took me in. Alec and Isabelle treated me like - like I was their brother."

Jace sat up, and looked at Clary, finally. "But school wasn't as easy." he said softly.

Clary couldn't look away from his eyes, gold and burning and full of pain.

"No one wanted to be friends with the orphan freak." Jace said. "No one comforted me when I cried, apart from Alec and Isabelle. I was whispered about, laughed at, glared at. I was an outcast."

Clary bit her lip.

"So when high school started," Jace said after a pause, "I wanted to have a clean slate. I wanted to start again. I hung out with Sebastian and Jonathan, and laughed at their jokes. I played sport, and I was good at it. I flirted with girls. I talked back to teachers. I did everything that was expected of me, and I made myself rules. If I didn't care about anything, I couldn't get hurt again, right?" he laughed without humour.

"That's how I got, as you put it, in the _popular_ gang. And the only people who know I'm an orphan are Alec and Isabelle. But with them, I'm not an orphan, not really. They're family." He looked like he was daring Clary to contradict him, but she nodded instead.

They were both silent for a moment.

"I lost my mother too." Clary said finally. "I was too young to remember, but I ended up under the care of my stepmother and sisters. I know what you mean about feeling separated from everyone."

Jace's expression softened. "Maybe that's why I told you."

Clary looked at him for another moment before she sat down beside him on his bed. "You know, for such a popular guy, you're not that bad, Jace Herondale."

Jace gave her half a smile. "And for a - what was it again? For a _weird artist freak,_ you're not bad at all, Clary Fray."

* * *

Clary hadn't meant to fall asleep.

She woke up suddenly, to find herself lying on an unfamiliar couch, with Jace's arm around her. Clary jolted upright and stood up, staring at Jace. He was still asleep, the angular lines in his face softer, somehow. He stirred, but didn't wake up.

If someone told Clary a few weeks ago that she and Jace would have fallen asleep together on his couch, she would have laughed in their faces. But the idea didn't seem so ridiculous anymore. For one thing, Clary no longer particularly hated him.

Clary looked at the TV, which was still playing. They'd been watching it for a while before she nodded off.

 _What time is it?_ It was quiet and dark, and that wasn't good. Clary checked her watch. _1:14am._

Her heart stopped.

Camille got home at midnight.

Clary hadn't done any of the shopping Camille had wanted her to, and now she was late.

Camille would be _livid._

Clary pulled out her phone. There were five missed calls from Seelie, seven from Kaelie and _fifteen_ from Camille. Not because they cared about her, of course. But because she was disobeying them, and that never happened.

Clary swore under her breath and dashed out of the room down the corridor. Everyone was asleep, she couldn't ask for a lift. She would have to run.

It was pitch black outside, and _freezing,_ and Clary was shivering as she dashed down the drive and onto the quiet street. Every story she'd ever heard about girls getting kidnapped or murdered in the dark flooded back to her, and she ran faster.

Clary's legs were aching and she was gasping for breath when her house finally loomed out of the dark. The porch light was still on.

Clary staggered to the front door, only to find it unlocked.

Camille stood in the hallway, hands on her hips. "Clarissa. Come in."

Clary gulped.

* * *

 **Hopefully it's starting to get dramatic! And thank you everyone for all the reviews, follows, favourites and encouragement!**

 **agentfandoms74 - thank you! It's a good motto honestly ;) the ball is fast approaching! Clace and sizzy will hopefully come into the chapters more too...**

 **2 - thank you! Glad you like it.**

 **KylarKvothe - thank you for the encouragement, glad you're enjoying it! I actually really like the idea of Isabelle playing match-maker!**

 **Missmathdork1608 - Ikr? They're so clueless about each other! Like, Clary, wake up - you can't hate a Herondale. It's not humanly possible. And glad you like it!**

 **starriwaszewski - haha who doesn't like clace? I've mainly prewritten all the chapters for this story but hopefully this chapter is a spark for soon-to-come clace!**

 **Kellychen8642 - your wish was my command ;)**

 **SneekAttack101 & BookEnthusiast - thanks so much! Glad you like:)**

 **ShamiksXa - thanks for the feedback! I agree I'm pushing though kinda fast, I guess there's a lot of timeskips between chapters... i'll work on that. Oh more will be revealed about Clary's parents... (as well as the plot twist in this chapter)**

 **\- s.i**


	10. Chapter 10

~~~Chapter 9~~~

 _But the stepmother began to show herself in her true colors. She could not bear the good qualities of this pretty girl, and the less because they made her own daughters appear the more odious._

* * *

Previously...

 _Clary swore under her breath and dashed out of the room down the corridor. Everyone was asleep, she couldn't ask for a lift. She would have to run._

 _It was pitch black outside, and freezing, and Clary was shivering as she dashed down the drive and onto the quiet street. Every story she'd ever heard about girls getting kidnapped or murdered in the dark flooded back to her, and she ran faster._

 _Clary's legs were aching and she was gasping for breath when her house finally loomed out of the dark. The porch light was still on._

 _Clary staggered to the front door, only to find it unlocked._

 _Camille stood in the hallway, hands on her hips. "Clarissa. Come in."_

 _Clary gulped._

* * *

Camille's mascara was smudged, leaving dark tears under her eyes. Her chipped nails were clutching a bottle of what looked like champagne.

"Camille, I'm so sorry, I - " Clary began.

"I don't want to hear it." Camille snapped. She stalked forwards, grabbing Clary's chin and pushing it upwards so Clary was looking directly into her face. "You look so much like your mother," Camille said softly, "it's disgusting."

"My mother wasn't - "

" _Your mother_ was a bitch." Camille snarled. "Her husband couldn't bear her, or you. You're why they split up, you know. Your father couldn't stand either of you, and so he left to find me instead."

Clary's head spun. "You told me my mother died!" she said, "And my father met you afterwards!"

Camille's smile was savage. "Oh she did die, in a way. She was dead inside after your father left her, and she forced him to take _you_ with him. She abandoned you. She _hated_ you."

"That's not true!" Clary cried. Hot tears were pricking her eyes, and she tried to blink them back. Camille's fingernails were digging into her skin.

"Both your parents wanted nothing to do with you!" Camille snapped. "That's why your father left _me,_ so he could be rid of _youI!_ You cursed me, you cursed this house! And every day, you remind me of what I lost!" Her words were jagged and cut into Clary like knives.

Camille hated her, because she believed Clary was the cause of her breakup with Clary's father.

Because Clary's father had hated her. Because Clary's mother had abandoned her.

The tears ran freely down Clary's face now. "It's not true," she whispered, "it's not…"

"SHUT UP!" Camille yelled, and threw the champagne bottle. It smashed on the floor, soaking the carpet. Glass shards glinted like knives.

Camille was breathing hard, her eyes bright. "You." she said softly to Clary, hands clenching and unclenching. "You look just like her, big doe eyes, a face like a _doll_. No wonder your father hated you."

Clary shook her head, her mind as shattered as the broken glass at her feet. Camille had closed her eyes, like she was silently counting to ten.

She opened them again. "Pick up the glass."

"What?" Clary whispered.

"Pick. Up. The. Glass."

Clary knelt, and carefully put some of the shards in her hand. She was shaking so hard she nearly cut herself.

Camille knelt down too, wobbling slightly on her heeled shoes. She took Clary's hand in her own and folded it closed. Clary cried out as the glass cut into her fingers.

"You are nothing but vermin, Clarissa." Camille whispered, hand tightening around Clary's own. Her perfume was mixed with the smell of sweat and alcohol. "You are _nothing._ Don't you forget it."

Clary flinched as the glass cut in further, drawing blood.

Camille straightened. "Pick it all up. By hand. And mop up the champagne. Then I want you to wash the carpet and re-wax the floor." her voice had gone back to calm and controlling. Clary didn't look at her.

"And if you disobey me again, Clarissa," Camille hissed, "I will know, and I will _throw you out on the street."_

Clary listened to her heels clop back down the hallway and up the stairs. Then she opened her hand and let the glass spill out like rain.

Clary's mind was numb as she picked up the glass, as she mopped up the champagne, washed the carpet, and waxed the floor. It was well into morning as she climbed the stairs to her room and collapsed onto her bed.

Her phone had missed texts from Christopher, but Clary couldn't talk to him. She lay in the darkness, unable to sleep.

 _Her husband couldn't bear her, or you._

 _She abandoned you._

 _You are nothing._

* * *

Clary was practically a zombie the next day. She hadn't slept at all after she'd gotten home, and Camille's words played in her head over and over again.

Clary had no idea how she got though the day, in fact. Simon kept asking her what was wrong, but she told him she was just tired. The wounds were to fresh and raw for her to talk about them.

Isabelle came up a few times too, to ask if Clary was okay. Clary brushed her off the same way as Simon.

She slept through Maths, managed to take down zero notes in Science, and had to leave halfway through English, on the excuse that she had a headache.

She walked down the corridor and then stopped abruptly, leaning her head against the wall.

"Clary?"

She turned, and bit back a groan as Jace came towards her. "What are you doing here?"

Jace raised an eyebrow. "I could ask the same of you. I'm supposed to be fetching some spare microscopes from the science office."

Clary nodded. "I'm… not really supposed to be out here." she mumbled.

"Clary, what's wrong?"

Clary had to look up to meet his eyes, she was so short. He was looking at her with worry, something she'd never thought she'd see.

"I'm fine." she said, pushing off the wall and stepping away from him, but Jace stopped her.

"Clary." he said sharply. "What's that on your hand?"

Clary made to put her hands behind her back but Jace grabbed them before she could. He stared at the scratches on her palm and running up her arms.

"It's nothing." Clary insisted. "A glass smashed while I was holding it, and I got cut. That's all."

She pulled her hands out of his grasp and tried to keep walking back to her classroom, but Jace blocked her way. "Glass doesn't cut that badly unless it's pushed into you."

"It's none of your business!" Clary snapped, pushing past him.

"Clary, you disappeared in the middle of the night last night. You didn't have a car, so you must have walked home. In the dark. What were you thinking? Then you show up to school with scratches up your arms and huge bags under your eyes - "

"Thanks a lot."

Jace blocked her way again. "Clary, what's going on?"

She glared up at him, but he wasn't budging.

So Clary decided to do something extremely stupid.

Later, she told herself it was because she was tired, or because she was mad at him and wanted him to move. Later, she couldn't remember what she had been thinking.

Clary kissed him.

She had to stand up on her tiptoes, and grab his shoulders for balance. Jace tensed in surprise, his body jerking away - before he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back.

His mouth was hot under hers, one of his hands in her hair. Clary was lifted half off the ground. She remembered thinking, _what the hell am I doing?_ She remembered thinking, _this is a very bad idea._ She remembered thinking, _Jace is surprisingly good at this._

And it was the last thought that made her push away. Of course Jace was expert at this. He'd kissed so many girls, had so many girlfriends. He hadn't cared about any of them.

Clary was _not_ going to be the next girl he discarded.

She stared at him, breathing hard. Jace's eyes were slightly wide, his hair rumpled.

"Clary - " he began.

She turned and ran.

* * *

When the bell finally rang for the end of school, Clary had never been so relieved. She hurried home, trying not to thing about anything - especially not Jace.

Which was hard to do when she found him, Alec and Isabelle standing outside her front door.

Clary saw Kaelie and Seelie's parked car and breathed a sigh of relief. They'd already gone inside, and hadn't noticed the visitors. That would have been awkward.

Clary made her way warily up the drive. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Isn't this what friends do?" Isabelle asked innocently. "Go over to each other's houses?"

 _Had Jace told her -_

"Plus," Isabelle continued, "friends also are there when the other person is down."

"I'm not - " Clary began.

"Jace told me you were upset." Isabelle cut her off. Jace had the grace to look slightly embarrassed as Clary glared at him. But at least he hadn't told Isabelle everything.

"I'm fine." Clary said. "You guys should probably go."

Isabelle drew herself up to her full height - taller than Clary. "You can't order us away."

Clary sighed. "Fine. Whatever. Come in." She unlocked the front door and let them in.

"Wow." Isabelle went into Camille's shop room and stared round at all the makeup and hairbrushes.

"My step-mother. She, uh, runs a beauty salon thing here." Clary said.

Isabelle picked up a perfume bottle and sniffed it. "Nice."

"I hate to be rude," Clary said, "but you guys kind of have to go. I'm not really allowed to have friends over at the moment."

"Grounded?" Alec asked.

Clary thought of Camille smashing her champagne bottle on the floor. "Something like that."

"Clarissa?" came a voice from upstairs. "Who are you talking to?"

"It's Kaelie!" Clary hissed. "And she really _cannot_ know that you guys are here!"

Jace, Alec and Isabelle blinked at her.

Clary dragged them over to Camille's makeup storage closet. "Hide in here, quick!"

She slammed the door just as Kaelie walked in.

"Hi Kaelie." Clary said, heart racing. She leaned causally back against the closet door.

"Talking to yourself is one of the first signs of madness, you know." Kaelie replied. "What are you doing here, anyway? Trying on makeup?"

She looked at the perfume bottle Isabelle had discarded and smirked. "Clarissa, there are some people that even makeup can't beautify."

Clary rolled her eyes. "I assume you're referring to me."

"You're learning fast, Clary," Kaelie simpered, patting Clary on the cheek with her manicured nails. "My room needs vacuuming, by the way."

"I'll get right on it." Clay muttered.

Kaelie smirked. "Good girl." She patted Clary's cheek again and flounced off.

Clary let out a sigh and stepped away from the closet door. It immediately burst open and Jace tumbled out, groaning. "I think there's nail-polish in my hair!"

Isabelle and Alec got out more gracefully. Isabelle was frowning. "Clary, Kaelie was just - "

"Ordering me around." Clary muttered. "I know. If I refuse her, she goes straight to her _caring mummy_ and tells on me. And then I'm really in trouble."

"Last night." Jace said quietly, getting up off the floor. "Was your stepmother mad at you? Is that why…?"

Clary flushed. There wasn't much point lying. "Uh… yes. You guys should go."

They relented, and Clary managed to push them back out the door. Isabelle and Alec started down the drive, but Jace hung back.

Clary couldn't look at him properly without blushing. He opened his mouth, but she cut him off.

"Jace, yesterday… it didn't mean anything, okay? I'm sorry, I was tired, and I wasn't thinking straight." The words came out in a rush.

Jace looked surprised. He closed his mouth, opened it again, and finally said, "Uh - if you ever need help… or someplace to stay or something, just call me."

He turned and followed Alec and Isabelle down the drive.

Clary shut the door and leant against it with a sigh.

She did not like Jace. She did _not._


	11. Chapter 11

~~~Chapter 10~~~

 _It happened that the king's son gave a ball, and invited all persons of fashion to it. Our young misses were also invited, for they cut a very grand figure among those of quality._

Jace leant against the car window, watching Clary's house until it was out of sight.

Damn.

The short redhead was getting to him.

It was a feeling Jace wasn't used to, and he shifted uncomfortably in hie seat as he thought over Clary's words, what she'd said about kissing him. _It didn't mean anything, okay?_

Of course it didn't mean anything. Jace had kissed loads of girls by now, and honestly, he'd never thought it was as good as it was cracked up to be.

And yet.

And yet Clary had been different. For one thing, Jace hadn't been expecting it. He hadn't been thinking, only reacting with what he felt. And it had been strangely… amazing.

He touched a finger to his lips absentmindedly, his mind hazy with wavy red hair and big soft eyes -

"Jace, have you been listening to anything I've been saying?" Isabelle asked impatiently, leaning forwards from the back seat of the car to nudge him.

"Uh… of course. You were talking about the - the ball."  
It was a reasonably safe bet, considering Isabelle had been talking about the ball for a while now. Her face lit up and she launched into another speech about how she was planning to make her ball dress. "I've always been into design, so I'm going to get a plain dress - I'm thinking red and tight - and do it up a bit. Maybe even some sequins - or is that too OTT?"

Jace tuned out again. He shouldn't be thinking about Clary, he decided. He definitely did not have a crush on her. No.

Definitely not.

If Jace had a crush on anyone, it would probably be…

He looked down at his phone. Was it possible to fall for someone you'd never met, who didn't even know your real name?

Jace had been texting Adele for a while now, although she thought he was called Christopher. It wasn't technically a lie, considering that was Jace's middle name. He'd picked up the tip of using his middle name as an alias during a particularly boring cyber-safety program in ninth grade.

But apart from his name, Adele knew practically everything about him. His likes and dislikes, his favourite colours, music, movies, books, things.

As if Adele had heard his thoughts, Jace's phone pinged with a text message from her. He looked down in surprise.

 ** _awkward_artist_ 3:32pm **_hey, u there?_

He replied straight away.

 ** _hot_stuff_ 3:32pm **_what's up?_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 3:32pm **_oh nothing much_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 3:32pm **_I'm actually just getting ready for a stupid ball my school's having this week_

Jace blinked in surprise. It had to be coincidence.

 ** _hot_stuff_ 3:33pm **_Adele, what school do you go to?_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 3:33pm **_um. am i supposed to tell u that?_

Jace bit his lip. They'd sent pictures to each other before - not their faces of course, but silhouettes and corners of desks and waving hands. Adele wasn't some creepy stalker. She couldn't be.

 ** _hot_stuff_ 3:33pm **_you don't have to trust me, but i trust you. I go to Brooklyn High_

He waited for her reply. Surely she didn't -

 ** _awkward_artist_ 3:34pm **_are u serious?! I go there too!_

Jace stared. Adele typed a second message.

 ** _awkward_artist_ 3:34pm **_are you going to the ball as well?_

Jace replied instantly. _What were the odds?_ he thought in wonder.

 ** _hot_stuff_ 3:34pm **_yes i am actually_

 ** _hot_stuff_ 3:34pm **_wow this is insane_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 3:34pm **_i know right?_

 ** _awkward_artist_ 3:35pm **_do u want to maybe… meet up?_

 _He was going to meet Adele._ Jace stared down at his phone.

What if they didn't like each other in real life? What if she turned out to be way older or younger than him? What if this was just someone puling a prank?

 ** _hot_stuff_ 3:34pm **_okay_

They agreed to meet next to the tree just outside the gym. Jace was just typing a goodbye when -

"Jace? Who are you texting?" Isabelle asked, reaching for his phone.

Jace swiped it away. "No one! Mind your own business!"

Isabelle was grinning at him. "Is it Clary?"

"No!" Jace was taken aback. "Why would you think that?"

Isabelle's grin widened. "So quick to deny…" she said casually.

Jace glared at her. "I'm not texting Clary. She doesn't like me anyway."

Both Isabelle and Alec smirked at him.

* * *

The ball was on Friday night, but Jace had to get through the whole week first before he could meet Adele. At lunch on Monday, he, Alec, Isabelle and Magnus decided not to sit with Kaelie, Seelie, Sebastian and Jonathan.

Instead, they went over to Clary's table.

Kaelie's horrified face from the other side of the canteen was a picture Jace would always treasure.

"Um… hi." Clary said, looking up at them in surprise. She was wearing a t-shirt that had once been white but was now speckled with paint. Jace dragged his eyes away to Simon, who was staring at Isabelle. No surprises there.

"Hey," said Isabelle, sinking into a chair. "Mind if we sit here?" It wasn't really a question.

They ended up talking about the ball - the topic everyone seemed to talk about, these days.

"I've just about finished my tapestry," Clary was saying. "Yes, Isabelle, I've got a dress. Yes, it's black. Is there a problem with that?"

Isabelle shook her head. "Black looks good on you," she said comfortingly. "Do you want us to pick you up before the ball?"

Clary hesitated, and then nodded. "Actually, that would be great. Thanks."

Isabelle leaned forward, a wicked glint in her eyes. "So. Are you planning to dance with anyone in particular?"

"No, definitely not!" Clary laughed. "Maybe Simon." She glanced over at her friend, who looked slightly scared. "I don't dance Clare, you know that."

Clary grinned at him. "Me neither."

"But are you meeting anyone?" Isabelle pressed.

A slight blush rose on Clary's cheeks. "Uh… no." Her eyes darted to Jace and then away again.

She was lying, and Jace felt a strange pang. He looked down at the table, mentally yelling at himself. _Get a grip, Jace._

"What about you, Isabelle?" Clary asked, deflecting the conversation away from herself. "Are you going to _dance_ with anyone?"

Isabelle looked slightly uncomfortable. "Oh, you know me," she said, too causally. "There'll be people lining up for my hand all night."

"Modest, much?" Jace grinned at her. But Isabelle was looking at Simon.

Jace saw Clary had noticed as well. They raised their eyebrows at each other, Clary grinning.

"And will you be going to the ball, Alec?" Magnus asked.

"Well, it wasn't my choice," Alec glared at his sister, "but yes I will."

"Great." Isabelle clapped her hands. "It's going to be a fun night."

* * *

Friday arrived too soon.

Clary checked and double-checked her tapestry before she went to school. It looked - if she did say so herself - amazing. The angel girl was a masterpiece of soft white paint, her eyes gleaming curves as she looked over her shoulder, her wings layers of pale feathers. She seemed to glow in the dark fabric, surrounded by sequins and glitter and lace.

It could win her a scholarship to Idris Academy of the Arts, and Clary knew it.

Then she pulled out her mother's dress, holding it against her own clothes. She stared down at the shimmering dark fabric, Camille's words swimming in her mind. _Your mother abandoned you._

No. Clary refused to believe it. She would - she would wear this dress to the ball, and she would wear it proudly.

 _My mother loved me. I remember. I remember._

She carefully folded the dress and lay it on her bed with the tapestry. Then she picked up her school bag and left for school.

It was just after lunch when things started to go horribly wrong.

* * *

 **Thanks guys for reading, and all the comments and favourites and follows. Hopefully the next update won't be long!**

 **\- s.i**


	12. Chapter 12

~~~Chapter 11~~~  
 _When they were ready, they said with scorn, "Cinderella, wouldn't you like to go to the ball?"_  
 _"Oh, yes. But how can I go? I don't have a dress."_  
 _"No," said the oldest one, "and we would be ashamed if you were to be seen there."_

Jace was walking to his science class when he heard a voice call his name. For a second he thought it was Clary, and turned around - to see Kaelie coming toward him.

"I thought you weren't speaking to me?" Jace asked.

She gave him a simpering smile. "I have decided to forgive you. You were right, Jacie."

"What?" Jace said in surprise. Kaelie admitting she was wrong was a rare and beautiful thing.

Kaelie came right up to him, running her nails down his cheek. They were painted as red as blood. "I said you were right." she said softly. "I've been too busy thinking about myself to give you much thought, Jace. No wonder you broke up with me - you must have been feeling so lonely and abandoned!"

It was an effort for Jace not to scoff. So Kaelie had decided he was a forlorn puppy-dog who wanted her to take care of him.

"Kaelie," he began, "I'm not sure you - "

"Don't deny it, Jacie." she said in a voice obviously meant to be alluring.

"Actually, I think I will, thanks - " Jace began, but it was too late. Kaelie leaned forward and kissed him. Jace stumbled - yes, actually stumbled - in surprise. He tasted lipstick.

And, much as he did try to deny it, a tiny voice in his head said _don't pull away._

Kaelie was, to put it in Isabelle's words, a 'prissy cow,' but she was also popular, pretty, and _safe._ She guaranteed him a place in the popular gang, she kept him from his old role as the pitied outcast.

And as she kissed him, the only thing Jace could think of was _safe, safe, safe._

But then - _No. Kaelie doesn't own me._ He opened his eyes - and saw Clary standing in the middle of the corridor, staring at him. Her books slipped from her hands and dropped to the floor.

Her green eyes were wide - and then they narrowed.

Jace detached himself from Kaelie, who stared at him in surprise. "Jace, what are you - "

"Clary, wait - " Jace said, pushing past Kaelie.

But Clary picked up her books with as much dignity as she could, and then she turned and practically ran back the way she'd came, pushing past a steam of students.

"Jace!" Kaelie whined as Jace dashed down the corridor. "What are you doing? That better have not been my stepsister!"

Jace ignored her. "Clary!" he yelled. "Clary, wait!"

He reached her and grabbed her arm, and Clary spun to face him with a glare. Her hair was out, and framed her face with red curls. Her freckles looked gold in the light.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"What you just saw - " Jace began, slightly out of breath.

"Was none of my business." Clary said firmly, not meeting his eyes. "Now let me get to class."

"If it wasn't your business, then why did you storm off?"

"Because I - " she took a breath. "Because… because I had started to think you were better than that."

"Than what?"

"Than kissing _Kaelie_ just after you broke up with her!"

Jace stared at Clary. She glared back. "I thought you didn't like her."

"I don't! Clary, listen - "

She cut him off. "So the only reason you kissed her is because she's popular, is that right?"

Jace hesitated.

Clary nodded, eyes flashing. "Yeah. That's the thing about you popular kids. You'll do whatever it takes for your reputation and image! Because you're so obsessed with your reflection in the mirror and the likes you get on Instagram that you forget what it's like in the real world! And you're willing to kiss some girl you hate just because she's pretty and popular!" Her voice had risen, and people nearby were looking at her curiously.

Jace felt like Clary had slapped him. "That's not true."

"Oh yeah?" she seethed. "Are you sure?"

Jace opened his mouth, and then closed it.

Because in a way, she was right.

Clary was one of the shortest people in her year, but she seemed to tower over Jace as she glared at him. "I thought you were better than that, Jace Herondale. I was wrong."

Jace stood there numbly as she stormed off, disappearing into the crowd. Her words spun round in his head. _I was wrong. I was wrong. I was wrong._

* * *

All in all, Clary was really not in the mood for the stupid ball as she walked home that day.

 _Why do you even care who Jace was kissing?_ She thought, aggressively kicking pebbles across the pavement. _You don't even like him, Clary._

But that was a big lie. She _did_ like him, she just hadn't admitted it to herself.

 _Alright, fine!_ Clary glowered at a pebble and then kicked it out onto the road. _I am slightly in love with Jace Herondale!_ And then, to her horror, she was blinking back tears.

She had fallen for him, fallen right into his trap, like all the girls before her. He was an insufferable idiot - but it was too late.

Clary reached the house and practically ran to the door, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. She stamped up the stairs and dashed into the attic, collapsing on her bed.

 _Don't cry, don't you dare cry -_

But she was crying, and it was too late, and Jace had been kissing Kaelie, she'd _seen_ him, and he didn't love her, and Clary was an idiot -

She felt the rough fabric of the tapestry underneath her, and her resolve tightened. Clary was _not_ going to let Jace stop her from going to the ball. She was going to show her tapestry to Mr. Fell, no matter what. No matter who else was there.

And, she was going to meet Christopher.

Clary sat up, wiping her face. She froze when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. A moment later, Kaelie and Seelie appeared, both dressed in shimmering dresses that looked three sizes too small.

"Clarissa, I need you to do my makeup for me!" Seelie announced, holding out her bag of lipsticks. "Mummy won't be home until midnight, so you have to do it instead."

Clary glared. "Do your own, and get out of my room!"

Camille wasn't here. Clary was going to get a scholarship to Idris Academy of the Arts and she would be long gone before Camille could threaten to cast her out on the street.

And Clary was sick of her stepsisters.

Seelie and Kaelie looked stunned, before glaring at her.

"I'm going to tell mummy you spoke to me that way!" Seelie yelled.

"I'm not surprised." Clary said calmly. "Running snivelling to your mother is all you ever do."

Kaelie glowered. "You know, Seelie? I think it's time we taught miss Clarissa here a lesson."

"School's over." Clary's tone was cold. "Get out of my room."

Kaelie advanced on her. "I haven't payed you back for what you did today, either." she hissed. "Jace ran off after you like some sort of _dog,_ leaving _me_ looking like an idiot!"

Clary smiled. "Kaelie, you always look like an idiot. That wasn't my fault, or Jace's."

Seelie stepped up next to Kaelie, opening her mouth to snap something, but then her eyes fell on Clary's black dress, still folded neatly. "What's this?" she asked.

Clary lunged for it, but Seelie was closer. She grabbed the dress and unfolded it. The floaty dark fabric shimmered as she held it up in disbelief. "You're going to the _ball_?"

Clary stood up. "Give it back."

Kaelie laughed, a horrible, fake sound. "The ball? _You?"_

"Give. It. Back." Clary stepped forward, but Seelie danced away from her, laughing. "Poor, ugly little Clarissa felt left out!"

"Did you hope someone would _dance_ with you?" Kaelie screeched. The sisters fell about laughing, Seelie swinging the dress around wildly.

"Give it _back!"_ Clary lunged, but Seelie side-stepped her again, holding the dress out. "Kaelie?" she asked. "I don't think she needs this."

Kaelie laughed. " _That_ ugly thing? It'll make her look worse than she already does!"

Seelie grinned. "That's what I thought." She put her hands on the side seam and ripped the dress.

"No!" Clary grabbed it and pulled, but Seelie held on, and the dress ripped even more. Seelie and Kaelie were both laughing, tears in their eyes.

Clary finally got the dress off Seelie and hugged it to her chest. It was ripped right through the middle. "That was my mother's!" she yelled.

"Mummy told us your mother was a bitch, and deserved everything she got!" Seelie folded her arms. "That dress should have been burned years ago!"

The tears Clary had failed to fight back before pricked her eyes again, blurring her vision. She held the dress tightly, like it could magically fix itself, like she was holding the only memories of her mother.

And then Kaelie picked up her tapestry. "And what's this gross thing?" Her eyes widened as she took in Clary's work, and then a savage smile curled up her face.

"No." Clary whispered. She grabbed for it, but Kaelie was already running to the door. She dashed down the stairs, Clary right behind her. Seelie followed them leisurely, like she had all the time in the world.

Kaelie reached Camille's beauty salon room and grabbed a pair of scissors from the desk, holding them over the tapestry.

Clary stopped in the doorway, breathing hard. "Don't you dare."

Kaelie tilted her head to the side. "Don't you dare _order us around_. You're a bitch, just like your mother."

She cut the tapestry.

Clary grabbed the scissors and flung them away, but Kaelie tore the rest of the way down, the cut she'd made now splitting easily. Sequins and beads fell to the floor, as the angel's face ripped right through the middle. The wings were split in half, feathers floating down around them.

Clary's face was hot, and wet. She could taste tears in her mouth. Kaelie dropped the tapestry to the floor, laughing.

She was -

She was an evil _bitch._

Clary's fist came out of nowhere, but Kaelie twisted to the side and Clary's knuckles only grazed her cheek.

Kaelie snarled and raked out with her own nails, and Clary stumbled away, watching Kaelie stamp on the tapestry with her stupid high heels.

"See?" Kaelie asked, almost gently. "This is a worthless piece of trash now, just like you."

 _You are nothing._

 _You are nothing._

 _You are nothing._

Seelie appeared in the doorway. Kaelie nodded to her. "Come on Seelie, we're going."

Clary stood numbly, clenching and unclenching her fists. Kaelie smiled at her as she left. "I guess I'll do my own makeup after all."

The door slammed shut behind them.

Clary sunk to the ground, the feathers from the tapestry strewn around her.

Like shredded angel wings.

* * *

 **I know, I know, don't hate me! *hides behind computer***

 **Hopefully the next update isn't far away, and thanks for all the follows, reviews and favourites as always. Don't worry - things will pick up!**

 **\- s.i**


	13. Chapter 13

~~~Chapter 12~~~  
 _This godmother of hers, who was a fairy, said to her, "You wish that you could go to the ball; is it not so?"_  
 _"Yes," cried Cinderella, with a great sigh._  
 _"Well," said her godmother, "be but a good girl, and I will contrive that you shall go." Then she took her into her chamber, and said to her, "Run into the garden, and bring me a pumpkin."_

"Isabelle!" Alec called from the car outside. "Can we go yet?"

Isabelle sighed, and leaned out from her bedroom window. "I haven't done my hair yet!" she called. "You and Jace go now, and Magnus can drive me when I'm ready!"

Alec made a show of rolling his eyes before yelling, "Jace, get out here! You'd better not be doing your hair as well!"

"Coming!" came the reply, and Isabelle heard Jace's feet stomp down the stairs before he left the house and got in the car.

Alec beeped the horn once, and drove off. Isabelle rolled her eyes. Boys had no patience.

She returned to her mirror, twisting her hair around experimentally before deciding to leave it out.

Isabelle touched up her eyeliner, added a dab of lipstick, and surveyed herself with a smirk.

 _Perfect._

She picked up her phone and called Magnus. "Can you swing by and pick me up? Then we have to get Clary as well."

"I'm just doing my hair," came the muffled reply. "Be there in five."

Isabelle smiled as she put down her phone. Finally someone else who had their priorities straight.

Magnus finally pulled up in his weird car and Isabelle got in, taking care not to rumple her dress, which was red and definitely not modest. Isabelle had shaped it up herself, and it accented all the right things in all the right places. She looked fabulous.

Magnus was wearing a simple white shirt and dress pants - and a shimmering gold jacket that was so glittery that it hurt to look at for too long. His hair was spiky and glittered up to match.

They grinned at each other. "You look amazing - but what else would I expect?" Magnus winked.

Isabelle returned the wink. "And you look almost as good as me."

"And that's what you consider the nicest compliment?"

"Yep."

She directed him to Clary's house, and they pulled up in the front drive with no trouble.

Isabelle told Magnus to wait in the car and rung the doorbell. "Clary? You there?"

She rung it three times before she heard footsteps, and then Clary's voice from the other side of the door. "Isabelle?" She sounded horrible, choked up like she had been crying.

"The one and only." Isabelle confirmed. "Clary, are you okay?"

"Izzy, I'm really sorry, but you'll have to go without me."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"No, really. I'm not going."

"Open the door, Clary."

Silence. And then, "Do I have to?"

"Clary, open the door or I am going to break in." Isabelle commanded.

There was a muffled sigh, and the door swung open. Clary stood in the doorway, still in a baggy t-shirt and jeans. Her hair was messy, and her eyes were red and puffy. "Isabelle - "

"What happened?" Isabelle barged inside before Clary could stop her. "Is it your stepmother? Are you okay?"

Clary looked like she was about to cry again. "Isabelle, I'm fine, but I really need you to go."

"I'm not leaving unless you're coming with me."

Then Isabelle caught sight of Clary's stepmother's salon room, and the mess inside it. "Clary, is that your - "

"Tapestry." Clary said in a dull voice. "And my dress is ripped up, too."

Isabelle stared at the ripped fabric, crumpled on the ground, and the beads and sequins and feathers strewn around it.

"Kaelie and Seelie thought it would teach me a lesson." Clary said quietly. "I can't go to the ball, Isabe - "

Isabelle grabbed Clary's chin, so that Clary had no choice but to meet her eyes. "Clary, you _cannot_ let those bitches tell you what to do, do you hear me?" she said fiercely. "You are talented, and smart, and strong, and brave, and beautiful, and you are _not_ going to bow down for _anyone._ "

Clary stepped away. "Don't, Isabelle."

Isabelle opened her mouth again, but Clary held up a hand. "Did you know what Kaelie called my mother?" she asked unevenly. "A bitch. Camille told me my mother abandoned me, dumping me on my father, who in turn dumped me on Camille. She thinks I'm a curse on her, she thinks I'm the reason my father left her."

Isabelle shook her head. "That's sick."

Clary's eyes flashed. "I'm starting to wonder if Camille's right. Maybe I'm nothing more than a - "

"No." Isabelle stepped forward, taking both of Clary's hands in her own. "Clary, _no._ Your stepmother might blame you, but don't you _dare_ blame yourself."

"But - "

Isabelle shook her head forcefully. "Maybe Camille's making it up. She only knows one side of the story. And maybe - maybe not. But - listen to me Clary - it _doesn't matter._ Frankly, I think your parents are damn unfortunate not to have you in their lives! Clary, your family and step-family aren't your masters. We're not talking about them, we're talking about _you,_ and you are as much of a curse as I am ugly!"

Clary gave a weak chuckle at that.

"I am so glad to know you, Clary," Isabelle continued, "so is Simon and Alec and Magnus and especially Jace. And you are going to show your stepsisters exactly how little they mean to you by coming with me, fixing up your dress and tapestry, and barging the hell into that ball!"

"Isabelle, there's no time, I can't fix - " Clary began.

Isabelle grinned. "I've wanted to be a fashion designer since I was about five. Well, that, or a weapons maker. Trust me, I can fix your stuff in no time. I'll be your damn fairy godmother. And don't you worry, we are totally going to make Kaelie and Seelie pay as well."

Isabelle opened up the front door again and stepped outside. Clary hesitated for a moment, rubbing the tear stains off her face, before grabbing her things and following Isabelle.

"I knew you'd see sense." Isabelle said smugly.

Clary gave her a watery smile. "You can be a very persuasive."

* * *

Clary stopped dead just outside her house. "What is _that?_ "

Magnus was grinning at them, leaning against his car. His very _bright_ car. "Isn't she amazing?" he asked, stroking the bonnet lovingly.

"It's _orange."_ But 'orange' was an understatement. The car was _bright_ orange, and sparkling with glitter.

"I painted her myself." Magnus said proudly. "She's called… the pumpkin."

Isabelle scoffed. "Because it's fat and orange?"

Indeed, the car was quite large - and strangely sphere-shaped. Magnus glared at Isabelle. "If you don't like her, you can walk."

"No, she's beautiful." Isabelle said quickly.

They climbed in, and sped back to Isabelle's place. Isabelle grabbed her sewing machine, some pins, and ordered Magnus to make her a coffee.

Isabelle surveyed the dress and tapestry with a frown. Then she looked up at Clary. "I have an idea. Let's combine them."

Isabelle sewed and stitched and ordered Clary around, and she and Clary worked tirelessly while Magnus supplied coffee. The dress had ripped right through the middle and the tear was too big to be simply stitched up again, so Isabelle used the black fabric of the tapestry and sewed the two together. She tried to convince Clary to put on some high heels, but Clary was not budging from her sharpied sneakers, and Isabelle gave up with a sigh.

Less than half an hour later, Clary stood in front of the mirror, staring at herself.

Her dress was exquisite. She could see the sewing lines where it had been patched together, but the 'mismatched' look worked, like the dress was cooler for having been ripped and sewn up again. Like it was better for having been broken.

The black fabric shimmered with beads and sequins and lace from the tapestry, and the feathers were on the back, in the shape of (considerably smaller than before, but still awesome) wings. The painted angel girl was carefully sewn on Clary's back, the sequins and beads making the savage rip in her face look artistic and beautiful.

The black colour gave Clary's hair a more fiery glint, and made her eyes light up in green. Isabelle fussed around with Clary's hair for a while before finally leaving it out in soft curling waves.

"Damn, Clary." Magnus said cheerfully. "You look amazing, darling."

Isabelle gave Clary a once-over and then grinned. "Told you I could fix you up."

Clary tried to thank her, but she couldn't find the words, and Isabelle waved her away. "The night isn't over yet, Clary. Let's get going."

She picked up her makeup bag, glanced at Clary, and put it back down. "You don't need it." she decided.

And then they all clambered back into the pumpkin. Clary knew she had nothing to show to Mr. Fell, but she didn't mind so much any more. She was going anyway, to prove something to Kaelie, Seelie, and herself.

And she was going to meet Christopher.

Clary's stomach flipped with nerves.

Magnus flicked on the radio and cranked up Taylor Swift, and they drove off into the evening.

"Let's do this thing." Isabelle said determinedly.

* * *

 **Isabelle and Clary are one of my favourite friendships, I wish there was more of it in the books. Also, yes Isabelle is the fairy godmother if you hadn't guessed already. Hope this chapter was a lot better and you guys don't hate me anymore ;)**

 **\- s.i**


	14. Chapter 14

~~~Chapter 13~~~  
 _When Cinder Maid entered the ballroom she was the loveliest of all the ladies, and the prince, who had been dancing with her stepsisters, would only dance with her._

Brooklyn High was a public school, so their 'ballroom' was just in the gym. Clary, Isabelle and Magnus were late, and the party was already in full swing as they walked in the front doors.

People stopped, turned, and whispered. At first Clary thought they might be talking about Magnus' extremely bright jacket, and then she wondered if it was Isabelle looking glamorous.

And then she realised some people were looking at her.

Isabelle looked round at the ball with raised eyebrows. There were students everywhere, the girls mainly in bright, flashy dresses, and the boys in collared shirts or tuxes. Crappy but loud music was playing through the speakers, and in the middle of the gym there was a crowd of people dancing, using the cheesiest moves they knew. There was a long refreshments table, groaning with drinks, and banners and bunting and artwork hung all over the walls.

The teachers had even found some rainbow fairy lights and strung them up, and the flashing colours made Clary wince as she adjusted to the room.

"Wow." she whispered.

"Classy, isn't it?" Isabelle said cheerfully. "Do you want to go dance?"

"Uh… yes, but there's something I have to do first." Clary said hesitantly.

Isabelle raised an eyebrow, but made no comment as Clary crossed the room to the back door, and went outside.

The very last crescent of the sun was still visible, a blood red splash, but otherwise the sky was purple and dark.

It was freezing.

Clary wrapped her arms around herself, making her way to the big tree next to the gym. Her heart was hammering, and she felt suddenly self-conscious.

She had told Christopher nearly everything about herself, but there was a difference between being online and face to face.

What if he didn't like her?

What if he didn't turn up?

What if this was all just a joke?

And then Clary noticed someone standing in the shadows, leaning against the tree.

"Hello?" she asked.

"About time." the figure grumbled, stepping out to meet her -

No.

No way. It was Jace.

They stared at each other, both at a loss for words. Jace hadn't bothered to dress up much, but he looked effortlessly handsome in a white shirt and simple dark pants. His hair glinted gold in the dying light, his eyes like chips of topaz.

Clary made a strange squeaking noise, before pulling herself together. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Jace kept staring at her. "…Adele?"

"No. It can't be you." she whispered. "You said your name was Christopher!"

"Well, unless you've just changed your name to Adele, you can't complain." Jace grumbled. "Christopher's my middle name."

"Adele's mine." Clary said slowly. "I got the idea from that year nine - "

"Cyber safety program thing." Jace cut in. "Yeah."

They stared at each other. Clary felt her heart sinking into her shoes.  
Christopher was _Jace._

Fate, she decided, was a very cruel thing.

"Isabelle must have gotten your number." Jace said finally. "I should have kno - "

"Yeah, you damn right should have known!" Clary yelled. Her face was hot - she couldn't tell if she was more embarrassed or angry.

She turned to storm off, nearly tripped over herself - _yeah, real smooth, Clary -_ and practically ran for the gym door.

"Clary, wait!" Jace called. But Clary was sick of waiting, sick of listening to explanations and excuses and sick of Jace Herondale.

He reached the door at the same time as she did, blocking her exit.

"Why do you _always_ do this?" Clary fumed, trying to push past him.

"No, Clary, listen." Jace said, grabbing her arm. She wrenched it away from him and glared.

Jace looked pained. "Clary, just listen for one minute. Please."

And it was his face as he said _please_ that stopped her. Clary relented, crossing her arms and stepping back slightly. "Fine."

Jace rubbed the back of his neck, taking a deep breath. "I've been thinking about what you said, and - "

Clary refused to meet his eyes. "You've been thinking. Quite an achievement."

He didn't take her bait, which surprised her. Instead, Jace looked strangely earnest, his eyes wide and… vulnerable.

"You think I'm shallow," he said, "willing to do whatever to be popular and liked, and - and maybe I am. But - " He took a breath. "But I didn't kiss Kaelie."

Clary opened her mouth, eyes flashing.

"I let _her_ kiss _me."_ Jace said quickly.

"Big difference."

"Actually, it is. I don't like her, Clary, I don't. But I know what it feels like to be alone, to be an outcast, to be teased and ridiculed and hurt. And for a moment, I hesitated, because - because I knew that I was _safe._ When I'm with Kaelie, I'm popular. I'm okay."

Clary opened her mouth again.

"But." Jace said. "But then I thought of Alec, and Isabelle, and _you._ And you're all real friends, who wouldn't cast me out or ignore me or judge me - "

"All of which I have done." Clary told him.

"But that's not the point." Jace said, running a hand through his hair. His voice was almost urgent, like he needed her to understand. "You know what I mean. And I've been an idiot, I've let myself become blind to what I believe just because it was _easy,_ because it was _safe._ But you taught me I was wrong, Clary. So then I pushed away."

"Only after you saw me staring at you!"

Jace held up a finger. "There - I _saw_ you. I opened my eyes and saw you and stepped back. Does that not count for anything?"

Clary took in his pleading golden eyes, mussed up hair, half-open mouth. "You said… that _I_ taught you that you were wrong." she said finally.

"Well, yes." Jace said in a rush. "Clary, You ignore your stepsisters, and you smirk at anyone popular, and endure rumours and scorn for what you do, but you keep doing what you want anyway because you don't give a _damn_ , and God, Clary, that day when you fell asleep at my place, when we were watching T.V, I kept looking over at you and thinking _why am I so strangely happy - it's just T.V,_ and then I realised it was because _you_ were there. And you're smart and thoughtful and funny and creative and beautiful, and everything you said to me was right, and I know you probably hate me but I just wanted you to know I'm sorry and that you deserved so much better - " He broke off, eyes slightly wide, like he'd said way too much.

Clary stared at Jace. And then she realised her eyes were wet, because it was the complete opposite of everything Seelie and Kaelie had ever said to her. And for a moment, the world felt warmer, and it was so hard to hate Jace now.

"Clary?" he asked tentatively.

Jace looked slightly blurry in her vision. He was outlined in gold, shadows playing over his features in dark and light. She imagined painting it, but she doubted she could ever be able to capture him on paper.

"You sure know how to talk up a girl, don't you?" she mumbled, and then she was crying.

He stepped forward, but she shook her head, wiping her eyes. "Please don't. I'm trying my best to keep hating you."

He was quiet for a moment as she smudged away her tears. "And… is it working?"

"Not really."

She straightened up to see him smiling - not an insufferable smirk, but a real smile. "That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"I haven't really decided yet." Clary said quietly. They were standing quiet close to each other, and she felt like they were the only two people in the world.

"I hope you decide soon," his voice was almost a whisper, "because I think I'm kind of falling in love with you, Clary."

Her breath caught. "I think… maybe I'm falling for you too, Jace Herondale."

And then he was only inches away, and she could see him breath in - a surprised, hesitating breath.

"Jace…"

"Clary - "

And then they were kissing.

It wasn't the sudden, confused kiss Clary had given him before, or even a particularly passionate kiss. It was something softer, and deeper, and more _right._ The night was cold, but Clary could feel the heat radiating off Jace, like standing too close to a crackling fire.

If that was so, then she was going to burn herself again and again.

Her eyes slipped half closed, the world only glimmers of black and gold. Jace wrapped his arms right round Clary, lifting her up off the ground. She laughed into his mouth, grabbing his shoulders for balance, and it was _right right right._


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys, ready for this chapter? Thanks for all your comments and follows and favourites like always, they really encourage me to keep writing! Some of the comments honestly make my day. Hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll update against soon!**

 **\- s.i**

* * *

~~~Chapter 14~~~  
 _Now this time, when Cinder Maid came to the ball, she was a desirous to dance only with the prince as he with her, and so, when midnight came round, she had forgotten to leave till the clock began to strike, one - two - three - four - five - six, - and then she began to run away down the stairs as the clock struck eight - nine - ten._

"Isabelle, for goodness sake, can you leave them alone?"

Isabelle ignored her brother, instead checking her phone. "Jace and Clary have been outside for about five minutes. That's more than enough time."

Simon sighed. Isabelle had to admit, he looked rather handsome tonight in a cotton shirt and jeans only slightly less rumpled than usual. "How do we know they're outside?"

"Alec says he saw Jace go out before, and then Clary went rushing out the door as soon as we got here." Isabelle said patiently. "I bet they agreed to meet up over text."

Magnus looked longingly over at the dance floor before saying, "Should we go and check, then?"

Isabelle grinned. "Let's go."

They made their way through the gym to the back door, and Isabelle kicked it open dramatically with her heeled shoes - a pretty impressive feat.

"What the - " came Jace's voice. He and Clary stumbled away from each other in surprise, Clary's cheeks going red as her hair.

"I knew it!" Isabelle shouted.

"OTP!" Magnus yelled.

"Yay." Simon added.

"About time." Alec grumbled.

Isabelle rushed over and enveloped Clary in a hug. "That only took you… practically all of high school!" she said cheerfully.

"Clary's always been stubborn." Simon said fondly. He hugged Clary too, who looked like she couldn't decide if she was more embarrassed or pleased.

"Much as I love you, Isabelle," Jace said, "we were kind of busy."

Isabelle waved a dismissive hand at him. "It was all thanks to me that you two ended up together, you know."

"What?" Clary asked.

Isabelle grinned. "I was the one who put your number on Jace's phone. Jace, my dear, I thought you might have figured it out by now. You're a bit stupider than you look, I must say."

"That's not saying much, then." Jace said. His hair was rumpled and his cheeks were flushed, and he looked happier than Isabelle had seen him for a long time. Her heart warmed he put one arm around Clary, who smiled up at him.

"My matchmaking for today is done." Isabelle said happily.

"But mine isn't." Simon said suddenly.

Everyone looked at him, and he swallowed. "Isabelle - "

It must have been something in the air, Isabelle thought later. "Come here, you." she said to Simon with a fond sigh, and kissed him.

It was hard to say whether Magnus or Clary cheered louder, while Jace and Alec exchanged grinning looks. When Isabelle and Simon finally came apart, Simon had lipstick smudges on his face.

"I guess that just leaves you and me, hey Alec?" Magnus said.

Alec blinked, looking over at Magnus with surprise. "Are you… flirting with me?"

Magnus stared at him, breaking out into a grin. "I've been trying to for the past few months, but thanks for noticing."

Alec gaped at him for a moment, steeled his resolve, and then kissed Magnus full on the mouth. Magnus staggered backwards in surprise, and this time everyone cheered.

It was so romantic, Isabelle might have said her eyes were slightly damp if she didn't know herself better.

"Not to spoil the mood," Jace said, "but it's kinda freezing out here. Can we maybe go inside?"

"After all," Isabelle said, grinning, "We've got a ball to smash."

* * *

If Clary ever painted this scene, she thought, she would fill the room with a haze of stars. Everything seemed to be painted in night sky colours from the decoration lights, the room awash with purples and blues and silver.

The music was loud, the song one of the ones everyone knew. Clary danced with Jace, then Simon, then Jace, then Isabelle, then Magnus, then Jace again, then Alec, and then Jace.

A couple of times she spotted Kaelie or Seelie, staring at her with part disgust, part envy. And Clary merely smiled back. Kaelie and Seelie seemed so irrelevant now, so completely far away that she wondered how they'd ever got to her.

Clary finally slipped off to get a drink, hot and thirsty but utterly exuberant, and she didn't notice Mr. Ragnor Fell until she practically bumped into him.

He was dressed formally in a tuxedo that looked very uncomfortable - he even had a rose in his button hole. "Miss Fray. What a pleasant surprise."

Clary was shocked he even remembered her name. "Nice to see you too, sir." she said awkwardly.

He took a sip from his glass. "I was just admiring the artworks at the ball this year."

"Oh." Clary said. Her heart sunk as she looked down at her dress. Beautiful though it was, it didn't qualify as part of the decorations.

"And I must say," Mr. Fell continued, "I was rather disappointed when I couldn't see your talent up on the walls."

Clary bit her lip.

"But then I saw _you,_ my dear." Mr. Fell grinned. "What an amazing dress. Might you do a spin for me?"

Clary, feeling supremely foolish, opened her arms and turned around slowly.

"Incredible!" Mr. Fell said, walking round her in delight. "The wings are a lovely touch - and the angel girl on the back… your portrayal of light is beautiful, Miss Fray. You are a work of art."

Clary waited for a blush to tinge her cheeks, but it never came. She _was_ talented. She _was_ artwork.

Mr. Fell smiled down at her. "I feel I rather regret my words last time we met, Miss Fray. Your talent and ideas are not limited to sketches, as I once thought. You, my dear, are an artist."

"Thank you, Mr. Fell." Clary said. The worlds felt too light to convey her meaning, she had been dreaming about a conversation like this since before she could remember.

Mr. Fell nodded once, eyes twinkling. "And so I am quite happy to say, Miss Fray, that we have a few open spots in Idris Academy next year, and if you put forward an application, I will personally be able to find you a place."

Clary's heart swelled.

She opened her mouth, and then she looked over Mr. Fell's shoulder.

She could see Simon dancing with Isabelle, both of them yelling lyrics to the currently playing pop song. Magnus had managed to steal a string of the fairy lights off the walls, and had draped them around himself like he was a Christmas tree. Alec was laughing, his arm slung round Jace. And as Clary looked, Jace turned and caught her eye. He grinned, mouthing the words _dance with me?_

Clary had wanted to go to Idris Academy since forever. She wanted to leave her life behind, to start afresh.

But, as she looked around the room, she realised her life had already changed.

Clary had always hated her stepsisters, and as her feelings were barely warmer for her stepmother, but she had never quite understood the power they seemed to have over her.

Clary had told herself she only obeyed them because she had no other option, no other place to go. She had hidden the real reason deep inside - that maybe, just maybe, she was as worthless as Camille had said.

But her friends refused to believe that - refused to let her believe it herself. Clary thought of Isabelle, saying _I am so glad to know you._ She thought of Simon, who had stuck with her all her life. She though of Jace, his face as he said _I think I'm kind of falling in love with you._

Clary focused on the sudden warmth in her chest, and she made up her mind.

She was already happy.

Mr. Fell seemed to know what Clary was going to say before she opened her mouth. He nodded, with a rather sad smile. "I understand completely, my dear. You must be very attached to your life by now."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Fell."

He shook his head. "Don't be, Miss Fray. I think you are making the right decision. But if you are interested, you may have heard about some of the weekly courses and extra-curricular classes Idris Academy offers."

"I would be very interested in that, Mr. Fell." Clary said with a smile.

He smiled back. "Good, good. Well, I'll be sure to send you the information then, Miss Fray. We'll be looking forward to seeing you around."

"Thank you, sir." Clary said earnestly.

He waved a hand. "I'd best leave you, my dear. I can see there are others who would enjoy your company." he smirked, and Clary turned to see Jace coming towards them.

"Goodbye, Miss Fray." Ragnor Fell said with a wink, and walked away.

Clary stood there, grinning like an idiot. Jace reached her side. "Who was that?"

"That was Mr. Fell. He offered me a place in Idris Academy." Clary said, walking with Jace back to the dance floor.

"That's great!" Jace said, and then his face froze. "Wait, are you changing schools?"

Clary laughed. "No. I might take some extra classes on weekends, but I'm staying right here."

"Is it bad that I'm relieved?" Jace asked.

She smiled at him. "I should have been rather put out if you weren't."

* * *

Clary's second encounter came quite suddenly. She'd been dancing with Alec when he'd excused himself to get a drink - and suddenly a hand wrapped around Clary's arm, pulling her towards the drink stand.

Clary wrenched herself away and swung to face Kaelie, who was leering.

Funnily enough, Kaelie wasn't that pretty when she was mad.

Seelie appeared out of nowhere, cutting off Clary from the rest of the crowd. "What do you think you're doing here?" she hissed.

Clary laughed. "I'm here because I want to be. If you two are trying to intimidate me, it's not working."

She was so over her step-sisters. They were history.

Kaelie screwed up her face. "What happened to your _dress?_ It looks…?"

"Better than yours?" Clary asked. "Why thank you. You helped make it, you know Kaelie. You gave me the idea of combining my tapestry with my dress."

Kaelie glared at her. "Get out of here, Clarissa."

Clary smirked back. "You know, Kaelie," she said slowly, "maybe you should have eaten some of the makeup you're wearing. At least then you might be pretty on the inside."

Kaelie's expression resembled one of a fish out of water.

"Was that a burn I heard?" Isabelle asked, appearing out of nowhere. "You good, Clary?"

"Never better." Clary said, grinning. "I was just giving Kaelie some fashion advice."

"Really?" Isabelle ran a condescending eye over Kaelie's skintight silver dress. "Well, here's a tip from me, Kaelie. Don't wear a dress with rips in it."

"What?!" Kaelie examined her dress for tears in a panic, and as she bent over the fabric split right up the side.

"Knew that would happen," Isabelle smirked as Kaelie shrieked.

She tried to pull her dress back together, and ended up tripping over her ridiculous high heels and crashing into the drinks stand - upending a whole bowl of punch all over her and Seelie, who had tripped over too.

Clary and Isabelle were holding each other up laughing, almost louder than Kaelie and Seelie's shrieks as they extracted themselves, dripping, from the punch bowl.

A crowd of kids ran over to see what the fuss was about, and about half of them pulled out their phones and started filming.

It looked like Kaelie and Seelie's reputation might have gone downhill, Clary thought.

She and Isabelle high-fived.

"Do you wanna go dance?" Isabelle asked.

"Sounds good to me." Clary grinned, turning with Isabelle and walking away from her stepsisters.

She didn't have time for _them_ anymore.

* * *

Jace was generally not one for parties, but he had to say, this ball was one of the best he had been to. That had nothing to do with the cheap party lights and cheesy music, and everything to do with the girl he was dancing with.

Clary - and he knew she would probably roll her eyes if he said this to her - looked stunning. Her dress was a starry swirl of ebony, and the feathery wings on her back only made her more like an angel. She'd left her hair out, fiery curls tumbling round her face, fanning out as she danced like she didn't have a care in the world.

And her eyes - god, her eyes - there were a few songs where he was lost in them, where deep green was all he could see.

They did a few proper ball dances - the old fashioned ones where his hands were on her shoulders and waist and his feet kept getting tangled with hers and her laughter filled his ears.

But then the music became more modern, and the dance floor filled up until everyone was pressed together with flashing lights and pounding beats. Alec and Magnus were nearby, Magnus doing all the moves and Alec actually looking like he was enjoying himself. Simon and Isabelle were dancing together too, and Isabelle looked happier than Jace had seen her in a long while.

And then Jace stopped noticing the people around him because Clary was right up close, practically pressed against him, and her eyes were closed and he could feel the soft fabric of her dress and she was whispering in his ear.

And then, when time seemed meaningless, when the songs had slowed down and the night had settled over the room like a blanket, they danced together slowly. Clary's head was on Jace's shoulder and his fingers were in her hair and as they swayed, their shadows made one person instead of two. Jace never wanted it to end.

And then suddenly, it did.


	16. Chapter 16

**Haha sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger! This is a pretty fast update, but I'll try and update again soon. Enjoy the chapter *nervous chuckle***

 **\- s.i**

~~~Chapter 15~~~

 _She left behind one of her glass slippers, which the prince picked up most carefully. She reached home, but quite out of breath, and in her nasty old clothes, having nothing left of all her finery but one of the little slippers, the mate to the one that she had dropped._

People had left, and the room was darker, but the music was still playing. Clary had lost track of time, and she was swaying slowly with Jace when the hall clock caught her eye.

She didn't take in the time straight away, the numbers seeming rather meaningless. And then it sunk in - 11:57.

"Oh my God." Clary stopped dead.

"Clary, what's wrong?" Jace asked.

Clary bit her lip, mind racing. Camille got home at midnight, and if Clary wasn't there - especially after the last incident…

Her stepsisters had disappeared after the punch-bowl incident, and they had probably gone straight home to dob on Clary.

Camille wouldn't have cared at all if the _stepsisters_ had stayed at the ball until midnight.

But Clary was treated differently.

She looked around frantically. Magnus was still dancing, she didn't have the heart to stop him and ask him to drive her home. Clary would have to run. She was lucky she lived so close to the school.

"Clary - " Jace began, but she was already pushing through the crowd to the doors. Clary burst out into the night air, breaking into a run.

"Clary, wait!" Jace yelled, running after.

"I have to go, Jace!" Clary yelled back, not slowing down.

"Why?"

She stumbled and nearly tripped - her shoelace had come undone.

"Of all the times…" Clary muttered. She pushed on, determined not to stop.

"Clary, slow down!"

"Jace, I really have to go!" Clary yelled. "I'm sorry!"

Her shoelace had come completely undone now, she gritted her teeth as she nearly tripped over again. If Clary stopped, Jace would catch up, and stall her, and she would definitely be late.

She managed to kick off her shoe, and kept running with only her sock on one foot.

Jace had fallen silent, and when she dared a glance over her shoulder she couldn't see him. _Probably turned back,_ Clary thought. She didn't blame him, it was freezing.

Already her lungs were burning, and she could barely see the pavement she was running on. Luckily Clary knew the streets well, she'd been walking this route all her life.

Her world reduced to nothing but her feet slapping on the pavement, her breath rattling in her chest, and the desperate hope that she could get there _just before midnight…_

At last, she turned onto her street, stumbling slightly with the effort. Clary sprinted the last few metres to her front drive, and screeched to a halt as she saw the car in the front drive.

Then she noticed that the porch light was on.

And then, she noticed Camille standing on the doorstep.

* * *

It was so dark outside, Jace could only make out shadows. Luckily Clary's hair was vividly red, otherwise he didn't know if he would have been able to follow her.

As it was, Jace didn't even make it out of the school.

"Clary, slow down!" he yelled, still yards behind her. What had suddenly made Clary so frantic? Was it her stepmother?

"Jace, I really have to go!" Clary yelled. "I'm sorry!"

She stumbled suddenly ahead of him, and Jace surged forwards - and nearly slammed into someone.

Sebastian stood there, blocking him. He was dressed better than Jace, in a tuxedo, and his hair was a shocking white in the gloom.

Jace tried to push past him, but Sebastian grabbed his shoulders. "We need to talk, Herondale."

"Get out of my way, Morgenstern."

Sebastian glared, refusing to let Jace pass. "I can't believe you. We were perfectly good friends, and then all of a sudden you've ditched Kaelie to go running after that red-headed freak."

"She's not a freak." Jace snarled.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "And there you go again, defending her. What happened to you, Jace?"

"I grew up." Jace snapped, pushing away.

"So we're all just kids to you now?" Sebastian asked cooly. "Mr. High and Mighty realised he was too good for his friends, huh?"

"Sebastian." came a warning voice. Jace saw Jonathan coming towards them, with Seelie and Kaelie behind them. Clary had disappeared completely.

"But were you ever my friend, Sebastian?" Jace asked quietly.

Sebastian's lips pulled back from his teeth. "You made me look like an idiot, leaving me like that. We were sport captains, we were popular, we had the prettiest girls in the school - "

Kaelie and Seelie simpered.

"- But that's not good enough for you, is it?" Sebastian snarled. "You've gone off to become that bitch Clary's _pet,_ I saw you dancing with her - "

Jace moved fast, grabbing Sebastian by his jacket and pulling him close. "Don't _ever_ call her that again."

"What, a bitch?" Sebastian asked, teeth flashing in a grin. "What would you prefer? A freak? A prude? A nobody? A - "

Jace's fist came out of nowhere, catching Sebastian right in the face. He staggered back with a yowl. Jace's hand stung, but he felt nothing except a strange, savage pleasure.

Seelie shrieked and Jace turned - just as Sebastian launched himself at him.

They tumbled backwards together, Jace hitting the ground with a crash that jarred every part of his body. The world flashed white, then black.

Kaelie screamed, and Jace pushed Sebastian off him, rolling away. Sebastian grabbed him before he could get up, and Jace's head snapped back as Sebastian's fist connected with his mouth.

Jace hit the ground, dazed, and then rolled as Sebastian kicked the exact spot where his head had just been. He jumped to his feet and caught Sebastian off balance, pushing him back down.

The world reduced to nothing but adrenaline and anger.

Sebastian snarled, and he kicked Jace right in the knee. Jace's legs crumpled beneath him, and Sebastian pulled his hand back for another punch -

"Stop!" Jonathan grabbed his brother, hauling him away. Jace stumbled to his feet. He gingerly ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth, but none of his teeth seemed to be broken. His face hurt like hell - but adrenaline was still coursing though him.

Jace stalked up to Sebastian, who was still struggling against his brother's grip. "Let him go, Jonathan. This is our fight." Jace said. His voice sounded dangerous to his ears. He could barely hear it over the pounding in his head.

"Jace, don't you dare!" came a yell. Isabelle came running into the scene, followed by Alec, Magnus and Simon.

Alec grabbed Jace's arm. "Idiot!" he hissed.

Jace tried to shake him off, but Alec was strong. More than that, he knew Jace well. Alec had him in an arm lock before Jace could do anything else.

"How dare you hurt my boyfriend!" Seelie yelled, braver now that Jace couldn't move.

"Oh, shut up!" Isabelle snapped. She stalked up to Jonathan and Sebastian, digging her finger into the latter's chest. "Stay away from Jace, understand? Stay. Away."

Jace struggled. "Alec, let me go! It's none of your damn business!"

Alec glared at him. "What are you, ten years old? Of course it's my business, you moron, I'm your brother."

"He's not your brother." Sebastian hissed. "I figured it out, Jace. You never let me come over to your house. You never talk about your parents. So I did a bit of research, and it all fits."

Jace bared his teeth, straining against Alec. "Yeah?"

"You're nothing a pathetic orphan." Sebastian snarled. "Maybe that's why you and the little bitch are matched."

Jace roared, and it took all of Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle's combined strength to drag him away.

Jace's head was throbbing, Sebastian's jeering face printed in his mind.

No. _No._ He thought of Clary, the strange disappointment in her voice as she'd told him, _I thought you were better than that._

Jace took a deep breath, stopped struggling, and said calmly, "let me go."

"No way." Alec said.

"I won't touch Sebastian. Let me go."

Isabelle sighed. "Let him go, Alec."

Alec, muttering darkly, released him. Jace stepped back over to Sebastian, who was still sagging against his brother.

"I'm not an orphan." Jace said quietly. "The Lightwoods are my family, and my friends. They're better to me than you ever were."

Sebastian sneered, but couldn't seem to think of anything to say. He was still panting for breath.

"Oh, and if you're going to talk about Clary," Jace continued, "use her name."

He turned away, to Kaelie. "You want to know why I danced with Clary instead of you, Kaelie? Because Clary, unlike you, doesn't have a life revolving around status and beauty products and gossip. She isn't constantly judging, spreading rumours or pouting. She just _lives._ "

Jace almost smiled at Kaelie's expression, at Sebastian's clenched fists. "You know what?" he continued, all anger gone, "I actually feel sorry for all of you. You only _think_ you're making yourselves happy."

"Thanks for the lecture." Sebastian snapped, pushing off Jonathan.

Jace looked at him for a moment, and then smiled. "Have a nice life, Seb."

And it was over.

He turned and walked back to his friends, feeling lighter than he had in a long while.

He was done.

It was only as Jace reached Alec, Isabelle and Magnus, that he noticed the object lying on the ground nearby. It was a red, faded sneaker - covered in dirt and tiny sharpie drawings.

Jace recognised it instantly.

* * *

Sometimes, even if you knew you were approaching your own doom, the only thing you could do was keep going.

Which was why Clary found herself walking the last few steps up her front drive to the door, where her stepmother stood like a lion about to pounce.

The stench of gin radiating off Camille was stronger tonight, it almost overpowered her perfume. Clary opened her mouth -

"I heard from Kaelie there was a ball this evening." Camille said, dangerously calm. Her words sounded thick, like she was drunk. "So you fancied sneaking out with that hideous dress, doing god-knows-what behind my back?"

"It's wasn't like that, I was only - " Clary broke off as Camille grabbed her arm, glued on nails digging into Clary's skin.

"No more excuses." Camille snapped, her face so close Clary could see the clumps of mascara sticking to her eyelashes. "That's it. I'm done."

She wrenched Clary into the house after her, slamming the door. "I'm done!" Camille yelled, shaking one fist at the ceiling. Her other hand dug into Clary as she was dragged along behind.

"I've put up with you for practically your whole life - and _that is it!"_

Clary struggled, but Camille's grip was iron. "Let go of me!" she shouted desperately.

Camille tugged her upstairs, Clary's dress tearing as she stumbled into the steps.

"You're like a disease, slowly wrecking everything in my life!" Camille practically screamed. "First I hated your father, and then I hated _you!"_

"Let go!" Clary grabbed onto the banister and held on, but Camille only had to tug once and Clary crashed onto the top stair.

Because no matter how desperate Clary was, she would always be small and weak.

Camille pulled Clary roughly to her feet and shoved her face close to Clary's own. "Did you hear that, Clarissa? _I hate you._ And you are staying right here until I figure out how to get rid of you!"

She shoved Clary into her bedroom - the attic. Clary had to grab onto the doorframe to keep from hitting the floor.

Camille slammed the door in her face, and - and turned the lock.

Clary pounded against the door, nausea in her throat. Camille had put a _lock_ on her bedroom door, like she was some sort of _wild animal -_

"Let me out!" Clary screamed, fists burning as she struck at the door.

"Get some rest, Clarissa." Camille said from the other side. Cary listened as her footsteps descended the staircase, fading into silence.

Clary sunk down against the door until it was the only thing propping her up from crumpling onto the floor.

She'd left her phone in Magnus' car, so she couldn't call anyone. She had nothing to break down the door with, and even if she did, Camille would just lock her up somewhere else. Clary had one tiny window, but she did not trust herself to climb out at all. After all, there was nowhere to go except plummeting down.

Clary put her head in her hands. _What a metaphor for my life._

And then - _no._

No, she was better than this, stronger than this. She refused to bow down to Camille anymore.

Clary sat up, looking round the room. There was no direct way out - she would have to get creative.

But Clary was an artist. She was good at that.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys!**

 **I know you probably all hate me after all my cheap cliffhangers ;) but hopefully this chapter appeases you all!**

 **Like I say nearly every chapter, thanks so much for all the comments and follows and favourites. Seriously, I am so blown away by you all! I'm sorry I haven't had time to reply individually to you all like I did in earlier chapters, but I want to say that you guys are all so amazing and funny and supportive. Sometimes I laughed out loud when I read the comments. You guys are all beautiful, amazing people and thanks for staying with this story!**

 **I'm still planning to post an epilogue, but this is technically the last chapter. I'm almost sad to be posting the ending!**

 **\- s.i**

~~~Chapter 16~~~

 _"No," said the mother. "There is only a dirty cinder girl here. She is sitting down there in the ashes. The slipper would never fit her." She did not want to call her, but the prince insisted. So they called Cinderella._

"We have to go after Clary." Jace said, clutching her shoe.

Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, what did you say to make her go dashing off like that?"

Jace bit his lip. "Damned if I know."

"You moron." Alec said with a sigh. "I'll drive."

They hurried out to Alec's car, which took a minute to find in the gloom. Jace ended up squished in the back with Simon and Magnus. Simon was calling Clary on his phone - it went to voicemail every time.

It took them a few wrong turns and a lot of swearing to find Clary's house, but they got there eventually.

"I'll go." Simon, Isabelle, and Jace said at the same time.

"We can't all go." Jace said. "I think Clary's stepmother might not… be happy to see us."

"She knows me." Simon cut in quickly.

"Maybe a bit too well." Jace told him. "Camille knows me as Kaelie's boyfriend - but not a friend of Clary. If she's mad at Clary, she'll be more likely to let me in since she thinks Clary and I don't get along."

"That doesn't really make sense but fine." Isabelle grumbled. "Hurry up."

Jace clambered out of the car and ran up the drive, knocking hard on Clary's front door.

It was opened by Camille. Jace was a tall person, but with the combined effects of high-heels and a burning glare, Clary's stepmother seemed to tower over him.

"What do you want?" she snapped. Jace caught a whiff of alcohol on her - as well as a horribly strong perfume.

"I - uh… wanted to see Clary." he said. "She and I… have a school project together, and…"

Camille made to shut the door, but Jace stuck his foot in the gap just in time. "Does it look like I care?" she snapped.

Jace winced as the door dug into his foot, but he managed to push it back open. "Please, I need to talk to her."

"Well, she doesn't want to talk to you." Camille said curtly.

Jace met her gaze and held it. "Well… I'm not going to leave until I see her, so…"

Camille gave an exasperated sigh. "Stay right there, then." she said, and shut the door in his face.

Jace stood there stupidly, listening to footsteps stomp down the hallway.

"Clarissa!" he heard Camille's voice yell. "Open your window! There's a boy who wants to talk to you!"

There was more stomping, and voices. Jace listened, but he couldn't make out anything.

And then he heard a soft squeaking noise and looked up to see Clary opening her window way above him.

Her hair had been pulled back in a tight bun, and she was wearing faded pyjamas and a glare.

"Clary?" Jace called. "Is everything okay?"

"Please go away." Clary said quietly. She looked pale in the light from her window, green eyes standing out against her white face.

Jace stepped back so he could see her better. "What's wrong?"

"You." she said, her voice sharp. "Please just leave."

Jace stared at her. Why was she so mad? What had he done? "Clary - "

"Leave me alone, Jace." she snapped. "I've had enough of you playing around with me like some sort of doll. We're done."

Jace stared at her, scanning her face for any sign of sadness, or regret, but there was only annoyance and determination.

"I don't understand…" he said quietly. "Clary, what did I do?"

"Oh, don't give me that crap!" she snapped, and disappeared from the window for a moment. She reappeared with a dark bundle in her arms - her dress, now scrunched up. He could see a tear on the hem. _Had she actually torn it up?_

"Give this back to Isabelle." Clary said harshly, throwing the dress at him. It rippled in the breeze as Jace caught it. His mouth was dry.

"Tell her to stay away from me too." Clary added, already starting to close the window. "And Simon, and - and everyone."

"Clary - will you just tell me what's going on?" Jace practically yelled.

But somewhere inside, he already knew. Clary had hated Jace for nearly all of school - and maybe she was right. Maybe, as much as Jace wished he had changed, he would always be the same in her eyes - popular, cocky, and, as Alec so nicely put it, a 'moron.'

"Figure it out, Jace Herondale." Clary said, and slammed the window shut.

The last Jace saw of her was a flash of red hair before she pulled the blinds closed. He was left standing in the dark like an idiot, clutching a ripped ball-dress.

Clary had dumped him.

Jace couldn't quite take it in. If he was being honest with himself - they'd never even technically been together. Jace had never asked her out, Clary had never accepted him. It hadn't been real.

But it had _felt_ real.

He'd felt it when she smiled over at him when they were sitting in his bedroom. He'd felt it as he fallen asleep with her on the couch. He'd felt it when she'd kissed him before running off that strange day. He'd felt it when they were alone outside, him telling her how he felt and she looking at him with those beautiful green eyes. He'd felt it when they danced together.

He'd felt _her,_ and he still felt her now - like a hole in his chest.

Clary had dumped him.

Jace stumbled over to the car where Isabelle, Alec, Magnus and Simon were waiting. He climbed in.

"Well?" Isabelle demanded.

Jace didn't look at her as he tossed her the dress. "Clary gave this back to you. She doesn't want it."

"What?" Isabelle held up the dress, for once at a loss for words.

"Why would she give that away?" Magnus asked in surprise. "She looked incredible in it."

Jace leaned back in his seat, running his hands through his hair. "I don't know. She - she doesn't want to see us. Any of us."

"She's grounded?" Alec asked.

"No, she just hates us." Jace spoke in a monotone, not looking at any of them.

"Why?" Simon asked in disbelief.

"I _don't know."_ Jace snapped. He felt guilty the moment he saw Simon's face. "She slammed her window shut before I could get a reason."

Simon pulled out his phone and called Clary. It went straight to voicemail, so he tried again. Jace felt sick, listening to the ringing.

"She's not going to answer." he said curtly. "Alright?"

Simon stared at his phone like it had cracked in two. "I just… don't get it. Why would Clary…?"

Isabelle leaned back in her seat. "Alec, let's get out of here." Her voice was quiet - but Isabelle never spoke quietly.

Jace closed his eyes, but Clary's face seemed to be printed on the back of his eyelids. He couldn't get her out of his head.

They drove in silence.

* * *

It was nearly one in the morning when Jace, Alec and Isabelle got home.

They'd had to drive back to the school first so Magnus and Simon could get their own cars, and none of them exchanged more than a few words as they split up.

Jace flung himself on his bed when he reached his room. He reflected as he lay there in the semi-darkness that flinging oneself onto one's bed in a state of drama was a very cliched thing to do, but he could not bring himself to care.

He did not seem to be able to think about anything other than Clary. He went through every time they'd ever spoken, everything he'd ever done, trying to work out what had made her slam her window.

Clary had seemed perfectly happy at the ball - hadn't she? Or had Jace just been too distracted by her to even notice how _she_ was feeling? Had he missed something so obvious that she had been pissed off enough to dash off in the middle of the night?

Clary. Clary, Clary, Clary.

Jace rolled over, pressing his face into his pillow until darkness was all he could see. And still she was there in his head - blocking all other rational thoughts.

This was, Jace reflected, probably just a normal break up. But he had never been too fussed by break ups - as he was mainly the one doing the dumping, not the other way round. But this was different.

Clary was _so_ different.

Jace didn't remember falling asleep - he had been sure he would be awake all night - but it was morning when he woke up to Alec banging around and Isabelle yelling in the kitchen.

Jace stumbled out of bed with a groan. He'd fallen asleep still dressed for the ball, and he peeled off his clothes before staggering into the shower. He turned the water on hot and stood there for a long time, face turned up to the water and eyes squeezed shut.

Jace was in a thoroughly bad mood when he got downstairs, and he felt even worse when he saw the crumpled black fabric lying next to the front door.

Clary's dress. Isabelle must have thrown it there when they got home last night.

Jace, unable to ignore it, stalked over and grabbed the dress, holding it out and glaring at it. The fabric still shimmered in the light, the wings on the back waving slightly as Jace shook it.

The dress was beautiful - but it looked limp without Clary.

Jace stared at the rip in the hem. Had Clary really done that? Was she so mad that she had purposely _ripped_ the dress, the work she had spent so long on?

Jace examined the dress from all angles, trying to see if she'd ripped it anywhere else. And that was when he saw the note - pinned on just inside one sleeve.

Jace ripped out the paper, unfolding it with a strange knot in his stomach. He should have noticed it before.

He read the note with shaking hands. _I didn't mean it. Please get me out of here._

Jace dropped the dress, and the note.

He opened his mouth, tried to think of something appropriate to say, then closed it again.

Then he said, "I am such a moron."

"Damn straight." Alec said moodily, appearing from the kitchen. "Any reason in particular?"

"Get Isabelle," Jace said, ignoring him. "We have to go."

* * *

It had been a long, long night.

Clary had barely slept, and she felt like hell. And she was starting to panic.

Clary had been relying on Jace and the others finding her note, and now it seemed like they weren't going to.

Camille had made Clary promise that she'd turn Jace away, and while her heart had broken doing it, she'd comforted herself that he would find her note and realise she hadn't meant it. But Isabelle had probably thrown Clary's dress away now, along with her last hope of escaping.

She bit her lip as she remembered Jace's face, looking up at her as she'd slammed her window shut. He hadn't looked _sad_ exactly, just confused and… and hurt. It was a strange emotion for Jace, and her stomach twisted.

She missed him.

Clary got up and went over to her window, but the drop looked just as terrifying as it had last night. She hurried over to her door and listened for voices, but there was only silence. Camille and her stepsisters must still be asleep.

What would Camille do when she woke up? Clary's stomach twisted again and she rammed herself against the door - but the lock held.

 _Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic -_

There was a sudden banging noise from outside.

Clary froze, listening.

"Let us in!" yelled a voice - a very familiar voice.

Clary dashed to the window. _Isabelle?_ She hardly dared to believe it.

Standing crowded round the door outside was not just Isabelle - but all her friends. Simon, Alec, Magnus… and Jace.

Clary heard Camille stomping downstairs and then she saw the front door bang open.

"What do you kids think you're doing?" Camille yelled. "Get the hell out of here!"

Then she saw Jace. "I told you to leave us alone last night!"

"Yeah, well unfortunately for you," Jace said cooly, "we're staying right here until Clary comes with us."

Camille's glare had _fried_ lesser men than Jace, but he didn't back down. Clary, unable to just watch, started banging on her window. Then she wrenched it open.

"Clary!" Simon yelled. "Are you okay?"

"You guys actually came!" Clary called down. She laughed in relief, and then she realised she had tears in her eyes.

Why was Clary suddenly crying all the time?

"Of course we came, we're your friends for goodness sakes!" Isabelle yelled up at her.

"Clarissa - close your window right now!" Camille yelled.

"Hold on, Clary!" Jace called and then barged past Camille through the front door.

"How dare you - " Camille began, but was cut off by Simon, Isabelle, Alec and Magnus streaming past her into the house. She practically got shoved into the door.

Clary heard running footsteps, and Simon shouting, "Go up those stairs!"

She ran back over to the door and started hammering on it again. "I'm in here, I'm in here!"

She heard Camille screaming threats from downstairs, and Kaelie and Seelie yelling in confusion. She heard Jace swear. "The door's locked!"

"We'll have to break it down." Alec said grimly. "Clary, stand back." Clary moved backwards hurriedly. She was almost out, she was almost free -

"On three." came Jace's voice. "One, two, _three!_ "

The door shook as they rammed into it from the other side. It creaked dangerously.

"FINE! TAKE THE KEY!" Camille yelled suddenly. "JUST GET THE GIRL OUT OF HERE!"

There was a clinking sound as she threw her keys to the ground.

"Hold on, Clary," Jace said, and she heard him fiddling with the lock, and then the doorknob turned and the door burst open.

Clary ran forwards, there was a blur of motion - and then she nearly crashed to the ground as five people tried to hug her at once.

"Clary - oh God - "

"Are you okay you _poor thing_ \- "

"We were so _worried - "_

"Let her breathe, guys." Alec said.

Simon refused to let go for a moment, hugging her so tight it might have hurt if Clary wasn't so happy to see him. "You're okay?" he said quietly.

"I'm okay."

Isabelle hugged her next, her vanilla perfume tickling Clary's nose. "You are coming with us, girl, whether you like it or not."

"I like that very much." Clary murmured, smiling into Isabelle's hair.

Magnus hugged Clary too, some of the glitter from his hair getting on her face. "Are you alright, Clary darling?"

"Never better."

Alec stood awkwardly for a moment before pulling Clary into a hug - much to her surprise.

"I've been growing on you, have I?" she asked with a grin.

Alec patted her head. "You're part of the family now."

And then Jace was there, standing just in front of her.

God, he was beautiful - his hair all rumpled up from always running his hands through it, the almost shy look in his gold eyes, that tiny chip on one of his teeth.

"I got the note." Jace said finally. "I'm sorry it took me so long to find it."

Clary wanted very badly to kiss him, but she kept her arms by her sides. "I'm sorry about… what I said. I didn't have any choice."

He nodded, a sad half-smile curving up one cheek. "I know. I'm sorry that I doubted you."

"You were doubting yourself." Clary said quietly. "We both were."

"Yeah." he said softly, his eyes locked on hers.

Isabelle coughed, and Jace blinked. "Oh, Clary, I have something of yours." He'd been wearing his backpack, and he pulled it off to get something out.

Something red, familiar, and covered in sharpie drawings.

Clary laughed when she saw her sneaker. She was wearing stripy socks, but no shoes - she'd thrown off her other sneaker last night.

Jace got down on on knee, holding out her shoe. "Ma'am?" he said politely.

Grinning, Clary went and retrieved her other sneaker from the corner of her room and slipped it on. Then she held out her foot to Jace, and he slipped on her shoe, before getting to his feet and bowing.

"You're such a moron." Alec said affectionately to his brother.

"Yeah, you are." Clary agreed, and then she kissed him.

There was a gasp from the doorway - Seelie and Kaelie had finally come upstairs to see what was going on - and Camille muttered something under her breath. But Isabelle, Simon, Alec and Magnus cast each other knowing looks, trying not to smile.

Jace pulled Clary into a hug, pressing his forehead close to her own. "Do you want to get out of here?" he asked quietly, smiling.

"Hell yes." Clary said back.

She didn't have much belongings - and soon everything Clary owned in the world was packed into her backpack. Clothes, pencils, sketchbook, school books, toothbrush, and not that much else. Clary hefted the bag over her shoulder and grinned at her friends. "Let's get out off here."

Simon, Isabelle, Magnus, Alec and Jace breezed past Camille, Kaelie and Seelie like they were no more than pieces of furniture, but Clary stopped at the doorway.

Kaelie had been crying - probably because of Jace. Seelie was comforting her. Camille was leaning against the wall with her arms folded, scowling. Last night she had been drunk and terrifying, today she just looked tired. Tired and… done.

Clary looked at Camille. "I'm sorry." she said.

"You damn well should be."

"I'm sorry," Clary clarified, "that you feel so bad about your life. But that isn't my fault, and I'm not apologising for existing. Not anymore."

Camille's scowl deepened, but something in her eyes flickered… almost like - respect.

"I hope that you'll be happier now I'm leaving." Clary continued. She expected herself to feel regret, or anger at Camille, or even just satisfaction at finally getting free. But she didn't feel anything. This part of her life was over.

Camille looked at her for a moment, and then nodded once. A stiff, cold nod, but a nod nonetheless.

Clary looked over at Kaelie and Seelie. "Have a nice life." she said, walking out the door and down the steps.

Her friends were waiting for her, and they walked outside together. Magnus, apparently, had driven round to the Lightwoods' house as soon as they called him, and so the car parked outside was his - just as orange as yesterday.

They piled in, Clary squished between Simon, Isabelle and Jace. Not that she minded.

"You ready?" Magnus asked from the driver's seat.

"I'm ready." Clary confirmed.

Magnus slammed his foot on the pedal and they sped away down the street - leaving Clary's old life far behind.


	18. Chapter 18

**And here it is, the promised epilogue. I've had so much fun writing this fic and I'm kinda sad that this is the end!**

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~~~Epilogue~~~

"Are you ready, Clary?" Alec called from the car outside.

Clary picked up her bag from beside her bed - a proper bed, not a mattress on the floor. She'd been sharing a room with Isabelle for almost a month now, and she still couldn't quite believe how different life was.

"Coming!" Clary yelled, hurrying down the hallway to the front door.

Simon appeared from nowhere - he'd been over at the Lightwood's house a lot lately, much to Clary's delight. "Good luck, Clary!" he said, giving her a bear hug.

"It's just an art class, Simon." Clary said, grinning as she stepped past him to open the door.

"An art class you've been dreaming about forever." Simon told her. "At _Idris Academy."_

Clary felt a slight flutter of nerves. "I know."

"You'll smash them, Clare." Isabelle announced, appearing suddenly. "Have you got your supplies?"

Clary opened her bag to show. "My sketchbook, pencils…"

Isabelle swiped the pack of watercolours from Clary's bag and stared at it. "Oh, _no,_ Clary. You are _not_ going with these."

Okay, so Clary had owned those pencils since she was a toddler. Yes - half of them were barely taller than her fingers and extremely blunt, and yes, maybe the pack was half falling apart, but still.

Clary opened her mouth, but Isabelle was determined. "No way. I am coming with you, and we are going to get new pencils right now."

It was hard to argue with Isabelle when she had made up her mind about something. Clary meekly followed her to the car.

"Wait for me!" came Jace's voice, and he ran down the drive a moment later, diving into the passenger seat next to Alec, who was driving.

"Why are _you_ coming?" Isabelle said exasperatedly.

"It's my girlfriends first art course - of course I'm coming." Jace said. He met Clary's eyes in the re-view mirror and grinned. "Also, I was hoping we'd be stopping for coffee on the way."

Clary leaned forward and shoved him, but she was smiling.

Alec drove them to the weird art and books shop, and Clary clambered out with her friends.

A bell tinkled when they entered the shop, and Clary looked over to see the same strange woman from before, standing behind the counter. There was really no doubt about it - the woman looked almost exactly like Clary. Red hair, green eyes, pale skin dusted with freckles.

It was… uncanny.

Clary tore her eyes away and went over to the watercolours section, hands running over the pencils in search of a pack like her own.

"What about this one, Clary?" Jace asked, holding up a set of pencils.

Clary opened her mouth - but was cut off by a strange gasping noise. She, Jace, Alec and Isabelle turned round to see the woman behind the counter staring at her, eyes wide. "Clary?"

"Have we… met?" Clary asked hesitantly.

The woman stepped out from behind the counter. She was tall, slim and graceful, almost like a dancer. Her hands were shaking. "Clarissa Adele Fray?"

Clary, Jace, Alec and Isabelle stared at the woman. She stared back, but only at Clary.

"How do you know my name?" Clary asked, starting to get freaked out.

Then she noticed that the woman had tears in her green eyes - eyes exactly like Clary's own. "Because… I named you, Clary."

Clary stared. "You're my… my - "

"I'm your mother." the woman said softly - a single tear escaping down her face. She wiped it away with a forced laugh. "This is really crazy…"

"Yeah, it is." Clary said curtly, backing away. Camille had told her that her mother wasn't dead - but Clary had believed the lie for so long that she still hadn't wrapped her head round it, that her mother was out there somewhere. She'd been trying not to think about it, actually.

Camille's words flickered in Clary's mind about her mother. _She abandoned you. She_ hated _you._

Jocelyn Fray - Clary's actual _mother -_ stepped forwards slightly, her arms opening almost like she was asking for a hug. "Clary? I know it's a lot to take in, but…"

Clary felt Jace's hand on her arm. He gave her a worried look, but she shook her head. This was something Clary had to handle on her own.

"Why did you leave me with dad?" Clary asked, almost sharply.

Jocelyn shook her head violently. "Clary, baby, I didn't leave you!" She stepped forwards again. Clary stepped back.

"Your father and I split up when you were a year old." Jocelyn said, voice earnest and desperate. "You were my baby - I fought with everything I had to keep you, but _your father_ obviously couldn't bear me owning anything that he thought was _rightfully his._ So he ran off with you, and that _awful_ Camille woman, leaving me desperately searching for you."

Clary blinked. Jocelyn looked so earnest, so _vulnerable…_

"Please believe me, Clary." Her mother didn't bother to wipe away a second tear, or a third. "I've been searching for you all these years, but your father completely disappeared - changing his address, number, everything."

"He did that for Camille, too." Clary said quietly. "Left her almost as soon as he could - and dumped me with her."

Jocelyn put a hand to her mouth. "Clary, nothing I say will ever make up for this, but - "

"It's not your fault." Clary told her.

And it wasn't. As Clary looked at her mother, she felt no resentment, no hurt or anger. This woman didn't feel like _family_ exactly, but Clary knew somehow that she would, if they both tried. Clary imagined them catching up for dinners, Clary working with her mother in this shop, Clary moving in with her.

Jocelyn was biting her lip - exactly what Clary did when she was nervous. Clary took in the paint splatters on her mother's shirt, the pencil sticking out of her hair.

 _My mother. My mother. My mother._

And then Clary was running forward, stumbling slightly over her own feet, and then they were hugging each other so tightly Clary could barely draw breath, and Jocelyn was crying into her hair, and Clary breathed in her mother's scent of paint and roses - just like she remembered.

Her knees gave out, and they both sunk until they were kneeling together on the shop floor, neither of them letting go.

Clary could see Jace, Alec Isabelle standing together over her shoulder, smiling at her. She smiled back, and said, "I might have to miss my art class today, guys."

Her mother laughed, and as they stood up together, their shadows merged and blended on the shop floor into one person. You couldn't tell where Clary's mother ended and where she began.

If Clary was going to paint this scene, she thought, she would line the room in gold.

The colour of happy endings.

* * *

 ***dramatic closing scene music* THE END! Hope you guys enjoyed and please leave a review! Oh, and bonus content below (I was bored, okay?).**

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 **~Bonus Content~**

 **(sorry I just couldn't resist guys)**

 ** _Below is the record of an exclusive interview with the cast of 'Just Before Midnight.'_**

 ** _Interviewer:_** Hello, everyone. It's such an honour to talk to you all. I'm a massive fan.

 ** _Jace:_** Why thank you. I'm afraid I don't do autographs at the moment, by the way.

 ** _Alec:_** Shut up, moron.

 ** _Interviewer:_** * _smiling awkwardly*_ So, Clary, let's start with you. How do you feel that your character is similar to the character of Cinderella?

 ** _Clary_ :** Well, I mean, Clary lives a pretty normal life, with, uh… kind of far off dreams she couldn't really explain, just like Cinderella. And then she gets pulled into this way cooler world, makes friends, falls in love… yeah, uh…

 ** _Jace:_** And she looks damn good in a ball dress.

 ** _Clary:_** _*blushing*_ uh…

 ** _Interviewer:_** Aw, you two are so cute. How about you, Jace? How do you compare with the prince character?

 ** _Jace:_** That's easy. I'm the Prince Charming. Handsome, dashing, uh… charming. I can really pull off the whole popular prince thing.

 ** _Isabelle:_** You also pull off the whole 'inflated ego' thing really well too.

 ** _Jace:_** I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you say that.

 ** _Interviewer:_** _*smiling nervously*_ Okay then… uh, how about you, Isabelle? How do you think you fit into the fairy godmother roll?

 ** _Isabelle:_** Well, I mean, I give Clary heaps of fashion advice, and I help design her outfits - like the ball dress, and -

 ** _Magnus:_** eXCUSE ME

 ** _Magnus:_** I'M THE REAL FAIRY GODMOTHER!

 ** _Isabelle:_** BACK OFF, I'M THE FAIRY GODMOTHER!

 ** _Magnus:_** I DRIVE THE GODAMN PUMPKIN FOR GOODNESS SAKE!

 ** _Jace:_ **Technically, the pumpkin driver in the disney movie was a horse or a frog or something.

 ** _Magnus:_ **_*gasp*_

 ** _Magnus:_ **HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A FROG!

 ** _Interviewer:_** _*hurriedly*_ Now, now, calm down everyone. Um, ah… Simon! How does your character, uh…

 ** _Simon:_ **Well, I mean, I'm Clary's best friend though out the story. So I guess that makes me…

 ** _Jace:_** One of the mice? _*smirks*_

 ** _Clary:_** Awwwwwww _*pats Simon's head*_

 ** _Simon:_** _*glaring*_ Oh, shut up.

 ** _Interviewer:_ **How about you two, Kaelie and Seelie? How do you feel about being the ugly stepsisters?

 ** _Kaelie:_** Ugh. I feel like it's kinda unfair. I mean, sure, Seelie is technically a slightly evil faerie queen, but I'm just a faerie who used to go out with Jace, who works at a restaurant called Taki's. I mean, seriously. Why am I always the mean girl in fanfics? I was literally in, like, one scene in the whole series!

 ** _Seelie:_** Yeah. If anyone should be the ugly stepsisters, it's Jonathan and Sebastian.

 ** _Jonathan:_** Uh, what did you just say?

 ** _Sebastian:_** ARE YOU CALLING ME UGLY?

 _ **Jonathan:** *quietIy*_ I think Jace and Sebastian should be the ugly stepsisters, since they're both so obsessed with their images.

 ** _Jace:_** EXCUSE ME?

 ** _Sebastian:_** Jace, you're totally one of the ugly stepsisters.

 ** _Jace:_** FIGHT ME!

 ** _Sebastian:_ **COME AT ME!

 _*muffled crashes*_

 ** _Magnus:_** BREAK IT UP, YOU TWO! _*chucks glitter at Jace and Sebastian*_

 ** _Interviewer:_** Uh… _*sweating* *winces at a muffled thump*_ I think... it's about time we - we finish up the interview. It's been a pleasure talking to you all… and, uh…

 _*Crashing, fighting, and glitter throwing intensify*_

 ** _Interviewer_ :** Uh, um, well, thank you, and… um… bye!

 ** _~~End of recording~~_**

* * *

 **Adios amigos, thanks for sticking with this fic to the end and hopefully I'll be back soon with even more weird story ideas! Whoo!**

 **Love you guys, have a great day!**

 **\- s.i**


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